State prisons overcrowded after Hurricane Helene

CHARLOTTE, NC – Advocates say several state prisons are overcrowded and inmates are living in poor conditions after thousands of inmates at prisons in the Western North Carolina mountains were evacuated to other facilities after Hurricane Helene.

“They’re not expecting to be at, at Mar-A-Lago or some resort. No one in there expects that they expect to be in a prison, but they also expect to have what they need to maintain a life,” April Barber from Fenced in Fighting for Freedom said.

Barber was incarcerated for more than 30 years at the Anson Correctional Institution. She has been hearing from inmates on the inside about long lock downs, limited food, water and less frequent laundry.

Anson Correctional Institution is one of several facilities now facing overcrowding after 2,100 offenders were evacuated out of Western North Carolina after Helene. Advocates say state facilities were already in poor condition and the overcrowding is now adding insult to injury.

Nine advocacy organizations signed a letter to the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections asking officials to consider releasing low risk offenders. It costs the state nearly $30,000 per year to keep each inmate.

“They’re being subjected to conditions that are inhumane,” Barber said. “The overcrowding just adds to the stress and strain and the financial realm of society, as well as the burdens of the families.”

In a statement to WCCB, a spokesman from DAC says, “The Department of Adult Correction has received a letter from a coalition of advocacy groups expressing concerns about prison system conditions in the wake of Hurricane Helene. Many of the claims made in the letter are misinformed or grossly exaggerated. About 2,100 offenders were safely transferred from five prison facilities in western North Carolina in the days after the storm. DAC staff are now making plans for transfers to other available non-affected prison housing areas in western North Carolina, as soon as it is feasible to do so. The timeframe for water and sewer restoration to the five vacant institutions remains unclear. While it may be possible to reoccupy Craggy CI in Asheville in the coming weeks, the timeline for return to facilities in Spruce Pine and Swannanoa appears to be longer. NCDAC has acknowledged the letter and will provide a detailed response to the advocates in the near future.”

Advocacy groups are also working on securing clemency for several inmates before the end of Governor Cooper’s term.

“They still deserve fair and humane treatment. You do much better with animals than a lot of prisons,” Barber said.