Vance County has one more day to reduce its jail population from about 140 to 20, one of five corrective action measures issued by the N.C. Dept. of Health and Human Services.
In a 6-page letter addressed to County Commissioner Board Chair Carolyn Faines, County Manager C. Renee Perry, Sheriff Curtis Brame and acting jail administrator Maj. William Mitchell, DHHS Secretary Devdutta Sangvai wrote that conditions at the Vance County Detention Center “jeopardize the safe custody, safety, health, or welfare” following an inspection last month.
“I have concluded that the conditions at VCDC jeopardize the safe custody, safety, health, or welfare of the individuals incarcerated there. Based on the information set forth below and the Facility’s failure to act with a sense of urgency to implement corrective measures and substantially depopulate, I have determined that an Agreement of Correction is not appropriate, and that an Order of Corrective Action is necessary,” Sangvai wrote in the letter, dated April 1, 2025.
In addition to the jail’s depopulation, the other four corrective action measures address supervision rounds, contraband, staffing and the county’s comprehensive action plan to address deficiencies at the detention center. The county has until April 15 to submit a written plan that spells out how it will recruit additional staff as well as implementation dates for recruiting, hiring, training and retaining detention officers. April 15 also is the deadline to submit a comprehensive plan of correction for each deficiency cited in previous inspections, giving priority to repairing the video surveillance system and repair of all cell door locks.
The state of disrepair has been a topic of discussion at county commissioner meetings for quite a while, and commissioners have gone back and forth about whether to repair the existing jail or to build a new one. Recent discussions – and the dismal inspections reports – have resulted in the need to spend a significant amount of money on repairs while weighing the options about new construction – a multi-year project.
The county can appeal the decision, but County Attorney Jonathan Care said he has not yet been authorized to do so.
Although the physical condition of the jail is a major concern, the April 1 letter also cites staffing as a problem. “The Facility remains seriously understaffed,” the letter reads. “The current staff cannot adequately supervise the Facility’s current census.” Where once close to 30 officers were employed to supervise and staff the detention center, there are now only nine positions that routinely supervise the Pods, the letter stated.
Here’s a timeline of most recent inspections by the Division of Health Service Regulation:
- July 2024 – 64 deficiencies noted, ranging from inadequate staffing and cracked security glass to damaged cell doors, pod doors and deficient supervision practices
- December 2024 – 55 continuing deficiencies, as well as 33 new ones for a total of 88 deficiencies
- January 23, 2025 – another inspection following report of a security breach on Jan. 1. Inspectors observed holes in cinder block walls, holes in perimeter security fencing and evidence of an undisclosed type of contraband that was brought into the jail. Numerous security cameras were out of service in three control rooms, cell and pod doors were still broken and supervision rounds weren’t being conducted.
- February 3, 2025 – The state sent a letter to the county about “ongoing noncompliance and identified deficiencies” and informed the county of the potential safety risks to inmates and VCDC staff, ultimately requiring that the county provide “an immediate commitment to corrective action.” The letter further requested that the county send written confirmation to the state about prioritizing the issues and take the necessary action to correct them.
- March 9, 2025 – the state received another report that detainees had used a water cooler to damage a security glass at the D Pod entrance.
- March 12, 2025 – state conducted a follow-up inspection and learned of an assault on one staff member and dismissal of four others on allegations that they delivered contraband to detainees. The SBI had been notified of the possible criminal activity.
- March 17, 2025 – the state sent a letter to the county requiring that the jail “take immediate action to depopulate the facility to a manageable number that staff could adequately supervise and gave the county two days – until Mar. 19 – to submit a comprehensive corrective action plan in response to the Dec. 18, 2024 inspection report.
- March 18, 2025 – the county did submit an action plan, but the state said it failed to identify specific, actionable and achievable steps to correct all the noncompliance identified in the December 2024 report – only 4 of the 88 deficiencies were addressed.
- March 21, 2025 – follow-up inspection showed continuing deficiencies. Only 26 of the facility’s 62 total cell doors could be securely locked and two of the Pods had no working doors. One Pod was missing a door entirely. “The lack of operable, locking cell doors seriously impacts the Facility’s function and the safety of incarcerated individuals and staff,” the April 1 letter stated.
