Press Releases

Governor Roy Cooper has proclaimed May 4-10 as Correctional Officers and Correctional Employees Week in North Carolina, to recognize the important public service provided by employees in the state’s prison system.  “Correctional officers, medical staff, programs staff, case managers and maintenance crews work tirelessly in our prisons, in challenging and often dangerous situations,” said Gov. Cooper. “To protect our communities, these state employees provide security, programs and care, while preparing people to reenter their communities.”

Governor Roy Cooper today signed the following COVID-19 relief bills into law: •    Senate Bill 704 •    House Bill 1043

An offender housed at Neuse Correctional Institution who tested positive for COVID-19 has died at the hospital as a result of pre-existing conditions complicated by COVID-19. This is the third coronavirus death of an individual in custody at a North Carolina state prison. “Any death is a tragedy, and we are working hard to flatten the curve of COVID-19 in Prisons,” said Todd Ishee, Commissioner of Prisons. “The health and safety of the staff and the offenders in our custody is of our top priority.”

Offender Christian Rodriguez (#1289662) died Thursday morning at Pasquotank Correctional Institution after an apparent suicide. He was found unresponsive in his cell at 1:09 a.m. Prison medical staff and local paramedics responded and performed life-saving measures in attempts to resuscitate the offender. He was pronounced dead by the local EMS at approximately 1:40 a.m. at the facility. DPS officials and local law enforcement are investigating the incident.

Governor Roy Cooper and NC DHHS Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen today shared an update on where North Carolina stands in the fight against COVID-19 and urged North Carolinians not to let their guard down.  “North Carolinians have made tremendous sacrifices and it is making a difference,” said Governor Cooper. “We remain hopeful that the trends will be stable enough to move into Phase 1 next week.” 

The North Carolina Department of Public Safety is increasing its efforts to contain and reduce the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) at the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women (NCCIW) in Raleigh. A testing operation occurred at five dorms in one housing unit over the weekend, testing all 161 offenders in the Canary Unit.  A report of test results verified today indicated a total of 70 offenders at the facility have tested positive; a majority of those are showing no symptoms associated with the coronavirus.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) announces today the Carolina Community Tracing Collaborative, a new partnership with Community Care of North Carolina (CCNC) and the North Carolina Area Health Education Centers (NC AHEC) to help stop the spread of COVID-19. 

Governor Roy Cooper today announced that North Carolina K-12 public schools will continue remote learning through the end of the 2019-2020 school year. Cooper was joined by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction Mark Johnson and the Chair of the State Board of Education Eric Davis for the announcement. 

An offender housed at Neuse Correctional Institution who tested positive for COVID-19 has died at the hospital as a result of pre-existing conditions complicated by COVID-19. This is the second coronavirus death of an individual in custody at a North Carolina state prison. “Any death is a tragedy, and we are doing our best to try and flatten the curve of COVID-19 in Prisons,” said Todd Ishee, Commissioner of Prisons. “The health and safety of the staff and the men and women in our custody is of the utmost importance.”

 Governor Roy Cooper today issued Executive Order No. 135 extending North Carolina’s Stay At Home order through May 8. The orders extending closure of restaurants for dine-in service and bars and closure of other close-contact businesses are also extended through May 8.  Governor Cooper shared details about North Carolina’s plan to lift restrictions in three phases once the data show that key metrics are headed in the right direction.