Prisoner transfers continue in North Carolina state facilities despite concerns over coronavirus. | Stock Photo
Prisoner transfers continue in North Carolina state facilities despite concerns over coronavirus. | Stock Photo
Prisoners in state custody at Morganton continue to be moved to-and-from different facilities within the correctional system.
For instance, at the Foothill Correctional Institution near Morganton, 13 prisoners were transferred in one day, according to WBTV on April 3. The reasons cited were because some were released from prison, one prisoner had a medical appointment and others for work or education programs.
However, both inmates and corrections staff in North Carolina’s prison system are testing positive for coronavirus, WBTV reported. This includes at least four prisoners as well as four employees.
According to John Bull, a spokesman for state prisons, inmate transfers are only occurring for specific reasons, WBTV reported. For instance, obeying a judicial order, transfers from lower custody to higher levels of custody due to behavior, medical reasons, or others considered “high priority movements.”
However, Ardis Watkins of the State Employees Association of North Carolina, said that prisoner transfers are still a concern.
“We don’t think that any inmates should move around right now," Watkins told WBTV.
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