Next month the North Carolina Judicial College will sponsor a tour of four correctional facilities in western North Carolina.
The agenda for the program is here. We’ll visit two prisons: Foothills Correctional Institution for young men in Morganton, and Swannanoa Correctional Institution for women just east of Asheville. We’ll also visit two programs for probationers: the Black Mountain Substance Abuse Treatment Center for Women (a 90-day residential program similar to the men’s program at DART Cherry) and the Burke CRV Center (a 90-day imprisonment option for technical violations of probation).
As I have with prior visits to DART Cherry, Harnett Correctional, the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women, and other correctional facilities in eastern North Carolina, I’ll be looking to assemble a blended group of judges, clerks, lawyers, and others who will—I hope—learn from the tours and from one another. I will prioritize applicants from the western half of the state.
An occasional criticism of the School is that our programs don’t include the voices of the defendants whose cases come through the criminal justice system. I have tried to do that, but I can try more. To the extent possible this program will include opportunities for participants to interact with inmates and program residents in way that will help participants make more informed decisions about the way they use various sentencing options. I want you to be able to evaluate whether each option is accomplishing the goals you have in mind.
I hope some of our readers will consider applying. I learn something new every time I visit a facility (I spent most of this afternoon in a prison, actually). I try to pass some of that knowledge along in my writing and teaching, but there is no substitute for seeing it for yourself.
© 2017 Cara O’Brien
We here in Fayetteville PD are very involved with re-entry. We stood up the Local Re-Entry Council (LRC) which is funded by a grant from DPS. We have toured several facilities and have even taken with us several of our council executive board members who are themselves former offenders. Is this tour something that any one of our Fayetteville/Cumberland Re-Entry Council (FCRC) may be able to participate in.
I am selfishly hoping that you might consider doing something similar to this in touring juvenile facilities.
It is a challenge to learn about what may be available and whether or not services are in place specifically for sex offenders at some or all of the possible placements within our state.
In years past there was a facility specifically for youthful offenders charged as adults ( referred to as the Tower) serving sentences that required sex offender treatment. I do not know if YDC placement has any special unit/locations that provide this for juveniles.
Also curious if there are male and female facilities for juveniles currently available. I have not heard of anything specifically designed to facilitate placement by gender.
With Raise the Age starting in December of this year I am especially hopeful that treatment for this population is going to be expanded and more readily available.