Inmate in NC State Prison Custody Dies of COVID-19

Raleigh -- PRESS RELEASE NC DPS Jul 15, 2020 An offender housed at Albemarle Correctional Institution who tested positive for COVID-19 has died at the hospital as a result of pre-existing conditions complicated by COVID-19.

This is the sixth coronavirus death of an individual in custody at a North Carolina state prison. 

“His death is a tragedy, and we are continuing to work hard to handle the impact of COVID-19 in our prisons,” said Todd Ishee, Commissioner of Prisons. “The health and safety of the staff and the offenders in our custody remains our top priority.”

The offender was hospitalized on July 8, 2020. He was tested for COVID-19 and the positive results were received on July 11, 2020. His condition worsened, and the offender died at the hospital on July 14, 2020.

The offender was a male in his late fifties and had underlying health conditions. Given his family’s right to privacy and the confidentiality of prison offender records, the Department of Public Safety will not further identify the individual. 

Prisons leadership has taken a substantial number of actions throughout the North Carolina prison system to try to prevent transmission of the virus. Those actions, along with offender testing information that is updated daily, are found here https://www.ncdps.gov/our-organization/adult-correction/prisons/prisons-info-covid-19

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