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Archive: August 2021

North Carolina Prisons See Drop in COVID Cases For Now, Delta Could Bring New Threat

August 9, 2021

By Ruthie Kesri

More than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, 10,000+ North Carolina prison-incarcerated people have tested positive for the virus. In the last three months though, the North Carolina Department of Public Safety (NCDPS) has noted a striking … Continue Reading →

Viral Injustice: COVID-19 is Disproportionately Impacting Incarcerated Population

April 20, 2021

By Annie Han

The COVID-19 Pandemic has disproportionately impacted people incarcerated in the US with 28% of the current incarcerated population testing positive for the virus compared to 9% of the general population. These outbreaks in prisons present serious health … Continue Reading →

COVID Settlement Means NC Will Release 3,500 Incarcerated People Early

March 26, 2021

By Ruthie Kesri

North Carolina will release 3,500 prisoners in state custody early over the next six-months after N.C. civil rights groups struck an agreement with Governor Cooper’s administration.

Under the terms of the agreement, the lawsuit, which alleges that … Continue Reading →

Organizations to US Attorney: Reduce Prison Population to Minimize COVID Risks

March 17, 2021

The Wilson Center for Science and Justice is one of several organizations that signed on to a letter last week urging U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland to augment efforts to transfer federal incarcerated persons to home confinement and pursuant to … Continue Reading →

Urban Institute Report: NC Revocations on Decline Thanks to Justice Reinvestment Act

February 18, 2021

By Annie Han

The Urban Institute recently released an assessment of the outcomes from changes made to the Supervision Revocation Policy in 2011. The report examines outcomes for individuals on probation, post-release supervision, and parole supervision before and after the … Continue Reading →

Wilson Center Executive Director to Return to Private Practice

January 1, 2021

Thomas Maher, who has served as Executive Director at the Wilson Center, will be departing to return to private practice on January 1.

Maher, who has taught criminal trial practice to Duke Law students for nearly 30 years, joined the … Continue Reading →

Judge Releases Order Appointing Thomas Maher to COVID-19 Prison Litigation

December 11, 2020

Wake County Superior Court Judge Vince Rozier released the order today appointing Wilson Center Director Thomas Maher as a special master in ongoing litigation in how the state is handling COVID-19 in prisons.

You can read more about the case … Continue Reading →

Federal Compassionate Release Opinion Cites Wilson Center Research on Risk Assessment

November 6, 2020

A U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Michigan cited research from the Wilson Center for Science and Justice in an order this week granting an incarcerated man compassionate release.

Desmond Reginal Rodgers was serving 200 months in prison … Continue Reading →

Friday: Expert Panelists to Discuss COVID-19 Spread in Jails, Prisons

October 12, 2020

Join Duke Science & Society and our panel of experts in a discussion of how COVID-19 has spread through jails and prisons, how that is affecting not only inmates but also surrounding communities, what corrections officials are – and are … Continue Reading →

What Prisons Could Still Do to Save Lives

September 18, 2020

By Deniz Ariturk

Six months after the first nationwide shutdown, US prisons and jails continue to be top COVID hot spots. Case numbers have continued to increase rapidly in prisons even as they plateaued nationwide in early summer, and new … Continue Reading →

Meet This Summer’s Duke CSJ Student Interns, Fellows

August 4, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t slowed down the six students who worked with the Duke Center for Science and Justice this summer.

The summer fellowships and internships at the Center provide students an opportunity to learn new information and hone their … Continue Reading →

Indy Week Publishes Powerful Letter to Cooper About COVID-19 in Prisons After Faye Brown’s Death

July 22, 2020

Ninety-eight people who are incarcerated in a federal prison in this country have died from COVID-19 in the past four months, and North Carolina is bearing the brunt of those losses with 25 deaths out of the Butner Federal Correctional … Continue Reading →