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Press Release

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Updated: Jan 31

SAFE AND HUMANE JAILS PROJECT


North Carolina Prisoner Legal Services is pleased to announce the redevelopment of its Safe and Humane Jails Project. The goal of the Project is to ensure that those incarcerated in all 109 of the county jails across North Carolina are housed in safe and humane conditions and that their constitutional rights are protected. NCPLS is the only organization serving all of those incarcerated in jails across the state in this capacity.

 

The Project will be led by attorney Cheryl Sullivan who joined NCPLS in December 2024. Ms. Sullivan has 14 years of experience investigating and litigating credible postconviction innocence claims. Her work led to the exoneration and/or release of nine men who were wrongfully convicted in North Carolina.

 

The Safe and Humane Jails Project will fulfill its mission in several ways:

Case Review and Investigation: Cases will be investigated over the course of months or sometimes years before we are able to determine whether we can pursue the case further. If, after an investigation, we decline to pursue litigation, we will explain in a detailed letter to the inmate the obstacles that make their case unlikely to be successful.

 

Full Representation: In some cases, after a thorough investigation, we will agree to file complaints on a client’s behalf and litigate their case through settlement, trial, or dismissal.

 

Informal Advocacy: Offering guidance and resources to inmates and speak with their loved ones. In some circumstances, we will contact jail staff to try to resolve the issue informally.

 

Keeping an Eye on Trends: Through the letters, phone calls, and emails we receive, we will keep track of broader issues routinely occurring at specific jails and determine how we can best advocate for those issues to be addressed, resulting in positive change.

 

The Safe and Humane Jails Project will review the following types of cases:


  • Conditions of Confinement

  • Confiscated Legal Materials

  • Failure to Protect

  • Deficient Medical/Mental Health Care

  • Religious Claims

  • Sexual Assault

  • Use of Force

  • Wrongful Death


If you would like us to review a case that falls into one of the categories listed above, please write to:


Safe and Humane Jails Project

NC Prisoner Legal Services

P.O. Box 25397

Raleigh, NC 27611

 

For more information about the Safe and Humane Jails Project, please contact Cheryl Sullivan at csullivan@ncpls.org.


Safe and Humane Jails Project
Safe and Humane Jails Project

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North Carolina Prisoner Legal Services, Inc. 
PO Box 25397
Raleigh, NC 27611

Phone: 919.856.2200

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