NC prison closings begin next month

RALEIGH, N.C. — The shutdown of seven North Carolina prisons because of state budget cuts will begin next month.

Seven of the state’s 79 prisons are closing because of state budget cuts that will also eliminate nearly 1,000 jobs at the Department of Correction.

WRAL-TV reported that the prison closures beginning September 1 will affect about 1,000 inmates. Correction officials say the Wilmington Residential Facility for Women will be the first to close. Other facilities in Cleveland, Gates, Granville, Guilford and Union counties will close by December 1 and McCain Correctional Hospital will close April 1.

Some probation managers could also lose their jobs after the Department of Correction merges 14 of its judicial districts, bringing the total number of districts from 45 down to 31.

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