North Carolina Superior Court Judge Vinston Rozier on Friday ordered a thorough investigation into COVID-19 protections in the state’s prisons.
Rozier’s ruling came in response to a lawsuit brought against the state protesting conditions in prisons during the COVID-19 pandemic and encouraging closer attention to human rights.
“African Americans [comprise] 51 percent of the prison population and will disproportionately bear
the devastation caused by a COVID-19 outbreak in DPS facilities,” says the lawsuit. “The environment makes it impossible to practice social distancing.”
