Citing “ongoing and serious compliance concerns,” the N.C. Dept. of Health and Human Services has put Sheriff Curtis Brame on notice that closing the jail is a possibility if the county doesn’t make good on addressing multiple safety, staffing and other deficiencies that have been identified.
A letter dated Oct. 2, 2026 and signed by DHHS Secretary Devdutta Sangvai stated that the county has 30 days to provide appropriate documentation to show that the jail is in compliance or risk closure.
Two correction actions had been issued in April 2025 directing Brame to address issues that included “inadequate staffing, failure to comply with depopulation requirements, continued physical plant and life-safety hazards and a lack of required documentation.”
Although the detention center has 91 beds available because of safety renovations, the current census was 136, as of Oct. 2.
With 24 vacant staff positions, the current staff “cannot adequately supervise the current census,” the letter stated.
The letter also included the incident in June when two detainees escaped and avoided capture for about a week. Another attempted escape occurred in June and resulted in a detainee being injured.
“In light of current circumstances and reported incidents at the Facility, DHSR remains concerned that the Vance County Sheriff and VCDC leadership are not acting with urgency to correct the ongoing, documented deficiencies,” the letter continued. DHSR is the Division of Health Service Regulation.
“The Sheriff and VCDC leadership have not made sufficient progress to remedy or address the most serious deficiencies identified by DHSR during its recent inspections and have not initiated or implemented necessary corrective actions.”
A meeting with DHHS staff was to be scheduled with Brame and other county leaders to take place during the month of in Octobert to spell out next steps and expectations.
The letter was addressed to Brame, who is responsible for the detention center, but the letter was cc’d to all county commissioners, Superior Court Judge John Dunlow, Vance County Manager C. Renee Perry, Assistant County Manager Jeremy Jones, County Attorney Jonathan Care, District Attorney Mike Waters, Henderson Police Chief Marcus Barrow and numerous other state-level officials representing the N.C. Sheriff’s Association, N.C. Dept. of Adult Correction and staffers in the office of Gov. Josh Stein.
A copy of the letter can be found on the county website at https://www.vancecounty.org/vcdc/
