Prisoners in the close custody unit at North Carolina’s Scotland Correctional Institution (SCI) have been on indefinite lockdown since December 28, 2013. Prison officials contend the lockdown is in response to security needs, but the circumstances make the given reasons appear pretextual.

SCI has about 800 prisoners in its closed custody unit, a single celled, high-security unit. The prison’s low and medium security prisoners are unaffected, but those in close custody have been subjected to cell confinement for 22 to 23 hours per day.

According to North Carolina Department of Public Safety spokesman Keith Acree, the lockdown was necessary due to “a series of fights between inmates and minor assaults on staff members.” He said the injuries to guards were “nothing serious,” but that several of them were “hit or bumped.”

 “Sometimes it’s a result of trying to break up a fight. Sometimes it’s an inmate deliberately hitting or punching someone,” he said.

Letters from prisoners to the group Solitary Watch describe the incidents that led to the lockdown and detail the conditions the prisoners are enduring. One prisoner wrote that on December 28, 2013, at about 5:35 P.M. there were two individual fights between prisoners. “No one was stabbed or cut and no staff was hurt,” Solitary Watch reported the prisoner stating.

Prison officials labelled the incident a gang fight and instituted the lockdown. For the next month, prisoners were not allowed out of their cells. In that stage, not even showers were permitted. When showers were provided, only one a week was allowed with two guards “standing at the shower watching with sticks out,” wrote one prisoner who said he showered in full restraints.

Stage two allowed 12 prisoners out of their cells for “rec in the dayroom for one hour.” Next, 24 prisoners were allowed out for two hours. Outside recreation has not been allowed since the lockdown began.

Solitary Watch’s Sept. 11, 2014 report said another prisoner wrote that, “No visitors have been allowed for the past three months, nor are we provided any religious services.” Another wrote, “They tell our families that they are understaffed.”

Others wrote that guards fail to respond when prisoners hit their call buttons. They describe incidents where guards did not respond for 20 to 70 minutes when a prisoner was having a medical event. One sergeant is reported telling a prisoner, “why don’t you just do us all a favor and die?” after finally responding to the prisoner’s pleas for medical care.

In January 2014, prison officials said they would “try to start stepping down” the lockdown. Acree said it would be a “slow, gradual process.” Eight months later, prisoners were still awaiting that process to play out.

Solitary Watch reported in September 2014 that the prisoners were allowed to leave their cells for two hours twice a day and spend one hour twice a week outside for recreation. All other privileges were suspended until further notice.

Sources: solitarywatch.com; laurinbergexchange.com

Sources: solitarywatch.com; laurinbergexchange.com

Subscribe today

Already a subscriber? Login