Prison

Harnett County correctional inmate died in a fight, another charged with murder

Christian Bridges, 29, died after a fight with another inmate.

Man sentenced to 96-128 months after 2024 deadly hit-and-run

Robert Brad Williams was sentenced to 8-10 years after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter and felony hit-and-run, resulting in death.

fatal crime prison Goldsboro hit-and-run

Former Durham EMS supervisor sentenced to 18 years for child pornography

Andrew Childs, a former Durham EMS district supervisor, was sentenced to 18 years in prison followed by 10 years of supervised probation after pleading guilty to distribution of child sexual abuse material and production of an "animal crush video".

child abuse child pornography prison FBI

Winston-Salem prisoner captured hours after escape, will be moved to Central Prison in Raleigh

An escaped Forsyth Correctional Center inmate serving a larceny sentence was captured in Winston-Salem hours after fleeing the facility and now faces a felony escape charge.

crime prison escape

As NC prisons struggle with vacancies, new budget ramps up spending. Will it be enough?

From staffing to mental health support, Wendell Powell says more needs to be done to better support prison staff and offenders.

North Carolina prison budget mental health

Deputies explain how inmate attempted to escape from Vance County jail on Monday

Problems persist at the Vance County Jail. Multiple sources told WRAL an inmate there tried to escape on Monday and was seriously injured. This comes after two inmates escaped earlier this month.

escape prison Vance County

Man sentenced to 30 years for raping autistic child at Camp Lejeune

A Fayetteville man was sentenced to 30 years in prison after being convicted of sex crimes involving a 9-year-old girl at Camp Lejeune military base.

sex crime Camp Lejeune prison autism sex crimes

‘Worse than we thought’: NC lawmakers investigate release of prisoners during COVID pandemic

North Carolina House Speaker Destin Hall says a new committee investigating a 2021 settlement that released 3,500 North Carolina prisoners is expected to meet soon, and that he’s troubled by what they’ve found.

NAACP 2026 NC Senate election prison ACLU Roy Cooper

Woman gets prison time, fine for embezzling SNAP benefits

Shermeca McCray is accused of stealing $102,000 in government funds for her own personal benefit and use.

crime money prison government employee misconduct

Inmate arrested, charged with escaping prison and holding Lee County woman hostage

According to the Lee County Sheriff's Office, deputies received reports of a woman being held hostage at gunpoint around 9:15 a.m. Monday in the Lemon Springs area.

inmate crime prison Lee County

NC lawmakers launch new investigation targeting prison releases under Roy Cooper

North Carolina released several thousand prisoners due to a Covid-19 era settlement under former Gov. Roy Cooper. As Cooper runs for U.S. Senate, Republicans say it deserves renewed attention.

prison Roy Cooper NCCapitol

Whatley, Cooper trade barbs over release of prisoners as early voting kicks off in Senate race

Democrat Roy Cooper and Republican Michael Whatley targeted each other Thursday in explaining why they should represent their parties on November ballots in the race to fill North Carolina’s open U.S. Senate seat.

crime prison Trump Roy Cooper U.S. Senate Campaign

State leaders push for more funding for prison reentry, addiction programs amid NC budget impasse

First Lady Anna Stein is emphasizing the role of prison reentry and substance abuse treatment programs in public safety, aiming to attract volunteers in the absence of additional state funding.

prison addiction NCCapitol Only on WRAL WRAL specialists

Fact-check: Did Cooper prison settlement release suspect in fatal Charlotte stabbing?

Republicans say that a man accused of killing a woman on a Charlotte commuter train was “released” from prison as part of a 2021 settlement struck between civil rights groups and then-Gov. Roy Cooper. Public records and officials disprove the claim.

crime PolitiFactNC prison ACLU Roy Cooper

‘Something bad will happen’: NC agencies say low staffing levels pose risk

Thousands of state job vacancies in North Carolina are stretching public services thin and, in many cases, creating risks for workers and the everyday person — a crisis leaders from both parties say will not ease until lawmakers break the ongoing budget stalemate.

NCCapitol General Assembly prison employee benefits SEANC

Former inmate buys Wayne County Correctional Center, plans reentry and workforce campus

Kerwin Pittman, a social justice activist and former inmate, has made history by purchasing the former Wayne County Correctional Center in Goldsboro.

prison Goldsboro

Stein notes NC’s prison reentry efforts as repeat offenders come under scrutiny

Making it easier for former prisoners to find work and mental health care should improve public safety by making people more likely to rejoin society, North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein said Wednesday.

Josh Stein Zoe Welsh crime prison criminal justice reform

FACT teams to help former inmates battling mental illness

A new initiative called FACT stands for Forensic Assertive Community Treatment. The goal of these FACT teams is to help formerly incarcerated people cope with mental illness and to try to keep them from going back to prison.

prison mental health

Pennsylvania program pairs pets with prisoners

The "New Leash on Life" program is a Pennsylvania nonprofit that gives prisoners the chance to help abandoned dogs find forever homes.

pets prison Pennsylvania

Judge gives ex-officer nearly 3 years in Breonna Taylor raid, rebuffs DOJ call for no prison time

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A federal judge on Monday sentenced a former Kentucky police officer to nearly three years in prison for using excessive force during the deadly 2020 Breonna Taylor raid, rebuffing a U.S. Department of Justice recommendation of no prison time for the defendant.

Breonna Taylor Kentucky crime prison raid