The ACLU of North Carolina, Disability Rights NC, Emancipate NC, Forward Justice, the National Juvenile Justice Network and five currently incarcerated men and women filed a lawsuit today seeking emergency action from the high court. It asserts that Gov. Roy Cooper and NC Department of Public Safety (DPS) Secretary Erik Hooks have a legal duty to take action before a large-scale outbreak results in severe illness and death among incarcerated people, prison staff and surrounding communities.
The lawsuit asks the court to order the immediate release of people who are particularly vulnerable based on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) heightened risk factors. Prison staff and people incarcerated in at least six state prison facilities have already tested positive for COVD-19.
“Without immediate action from [Cooper and Hooks], this trickle will undoubtedly become a torrent,” the court document states…
