North Carolina Police Benevolent Association Supports Call for Legislative Oversight to Reform the North Carolina Prison System
Oct 19, 2017
The North Carolina Police Benevolent Association is supporting Representative Bob Steinburg's efforts to create legislative oversight of the North Carolina prison system. In April of this year, Sgt. Meggan Callahan was brutally murdered at the Bertie Correctional Institute. Recently correctional officers and staff were injured and killed in an attempted prison break at Pasquotank Correctional Institution.
Rep. Steinburg has called for a legislative task force on prison reform. He is also calling for subpoena power. Reform topics would include discussion on safety, staffing, equipment, training, management practices, pay, and providing a death benefit for corrections officers.
According to Division President Randy Byrd, "We fully support Rep. Steinburg's effort to involve the legislature in delving deeply into what is clearly a broken system. Correctional officers face incredible dangers everyday and these dangers continue to be exacerbated by gross mismanagement and understaffing. Corrections officers also are facing the fear of retaliation if they come forward to report these issues." Byrd added, "The time is now to address these issues before we have another death."