RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — A North Carolina Superior Court judge Monday ruled in favor of state prisoners and various civil justice organizations’ claim that individuals incarcerated during the COVID-19 pandemic are being held under “unconstitutional conditions of confinement”.
The ruling is in response to a lawsuit from the ACLU of North Carolina, Disability Rights North Carolina, Emancipate NC, Forward Justice, and the National Juvenile Justice Network asserting that the state’s failure to protect people in state custody from mass outbreaks of COVID-19 amounted to cruel and unusual punishment under the Constitution.
“This ruling affirms that state officials have a constitutional obligation to protect the health and safety of the people in their custody and combat the spread of this deadly disease,” said Leah Kang, Staff Attorney at the ACLU of North Carolina. “The deadly outbreaks in our state prisons have already claimed six lives and continue to threaten all North Carolinians, especially communities of color which have been disproportionately impacted by this pandemic. We’re hopeful this ruling will help prevent further loss of life by forcing state officials to implement safety measures and release people from these dangerous conditions.”…
