With increased immigration enforcement in North Carolina, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement is considering plans to construct and open at least three new jails to house detainees. Two potential jails may be opened in Greensboro, one at the site of the former American Hebrew Academy and the other at an unknown location. A third potential site is located in Winton, NC, in the northeastern part of the state, where Rivers Correctional Institution was previously in operation. Rivers Correctional closed in 2021 as part of the Biden administration’s plan to phase out contracts with private prisons.
ICE previously contracted with local jails in Alamance County, New Hanover County, and elsewhere to house detainees, although those arrested are more commonly sent to Stewart Detention Center in Georgia. Alamance County’s agreement with ICE was recently terminated in anticipation of the increased demand for jail beds arising from the passage of House Bill 307 (Iryna’s Law).
Formerly incarcerated man buys former prison. Meanwhile, Kerwin Pittman, the executive director of the nonprofit Recidivism Reduction Educational Programs Services has purchased a former prison in Wayne County for $275,000 with the intention of turning it into a campus that will offer reentry support such as housing, work programs, and trauma-informed care to those leaving prison. Pittman served more than a decade in prison and has long had the goal of creating a space to assist the formerly incarcerated as they navigate the financial, logistical, and psychological challenges of reentry. Though his ultimate goal of raising $10 million to launch the operation is a ways off, the purchase is a significant step toward expanding the nonprofit’s reach (I covered the nonprofit’s mobile reentry bus in a previous news roundup).
New federal ethics opinion addresses speech by judges. A February 2026 ethics opinion promulgated by the U.S. Judicial Conference’s Committee on Codes of Conduct gives latitude for judges to speak publicly in some situations against attacks on the judiciary. The opinion states that ethics rules “leave room, in at least some circumstances, for the measured defense of judicial colleagues from illegitimate forms of criticism and attacks that risk undermining judicial independence or the rule of law, whether or not they rise to the level of persecution” (See pp. 253-256). The opinion cites to Chief U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Roberts’s 2024 report describing violence, intimidation, disinformation, and threats to defy lawfully entered orders as “illegitimate activity” that “risk undermining” the independence of judges and the rule of law. The opinion also provides ethical guidelines on civic engagement that preserves the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary and strikes the proper tone.
Federal grand jury rejects charges against lawmakers. Federal prosecutors were unsuccessful in obtaining indictments against six members of Congress this week. The basis for the charges sought was the lawmakers’ act of posting a video stating that those serving in the military and intelligence agencies have an obligation to refuse illegal orders. This led to accusations from the Trump Administration that the lawmakers were interfering in the chain of command. Experts have weighed in on the nuances surrounding the situation in which a service member has reservations about the legality of an order here.
Although it is extremely rare for a grand jury to return a finding of “no true bill,” grand juries in Washington, D.C., have done so in several cases in recent months, including the case of the “sandwich thrower” (who was subsequently charged with a misdemeanor and acquitted at trial). A true bill in the federal system requires 12 of between 16 and 23 grand jurors to find probable cause, whereas in North Carolina a true bill requires 12 of between 12 and 18 grand jurors to find probable cause. See G.S. 15A-621;15A-623(a).
Review of 1980’s child sexual abuse convictions. This week, the Court of Appeals heard arguments on review of a 2023 trial court order upholding Junior Chandler’s convictions for child sexual abuse from the 1980’s. The trial judge found that prosecutors withheld significant favorable evidence from the defense and allowed testimony that included “outright fabrications.” However, the judge ruled that the state had sufficient evidence to support the convictions and that the evidence that was not turned over would not have affected the outcome. The appellate argument addressed issues such as the suggestibility of children, proper interview protocols, potential evidence of third-party guilt, and more.
Dissociation caused by acne medication? The sentencing hearing of Austin Thompson continues in Wake County. Thompson previously pled guilty to five counts of murder stemming from a 2022 mass shooting in which he killed his older brother and four others. Thompson shot himself in the head during a subsequent standoff with police but survived. As Thompson was fifteen at the time of the crime, he is not eligible for the death penalty. As Jeff explained last week, the sentencing hearing will determine whether he receives life without the possibility of parole or life with the possibility of parole.
The sentencing hearing took an unusual turn when the defense elicited testimony from an expert that Thompson’s acne medication may have caused him to experience a state of dissociation and depersonalization at the time of the shooting. Witnesses to the shooting described Thompson as “zombielike” and “eerily unaffected” rather than angry. The expert stated that these descriptions alerted him to the possibility of dissociation, a known, although rare, side effect of minocycline, the acne medication Thompson had been taking for a year. The defense presented evidence that Thompson had virtually no history of mental health issues and that he lacked a motive for the mass shooting.
The defense also called a second expert to testify as to Thompson’s genetic profile and how it could have affected his ability to process medication. The prosecution pushed back on the defense’s narrative, asserting that issues with the acne drug affect females more commonly than males. The first expert did note that he could not conclusively say what caused the defendant’s behavior.
Mental health legislation in the works. Last week, Jeff discussed Governor Stein’s executive order addressing North Carolina’s behavior health crisis and criminal justice systems. The order sets forth a litany of concerns and action items relating to staffing shortages at the Departments of Adult Correction and Public Safety, availability of treatment and insurance coverage for those with severe mental illness, issues with increased use of the involuntary commitment process, and more.
This week, the Legislature convened a hearing to address related concerns involving gaps in service for those with severe mental illness and the ways in which the criminal justice system and behavioral health systems do not adequately ensure the safety of individuals and the community. The House Committee on Involuntary Commitment and Public Safety heard presentations from a representative from the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys and others as members examined the North Carolina involuntary commitment process and compared it with systems from other states. Leaders of the committee stated they planned to have a report and draft legislation ready by April to address some of these challenging problems.
Happy Friday the 13th and see you next week.
