News Roundup

Published for NC Criminal Law on February 13, 2026.

With increased immigration enforcement in North Carolina, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement is considering plans to construct and open at least three new jails to house detainees. Two potential jails may be opened in Greensboro, one at the site of the former American Hebrew Academy and the other at an unknown location. A third potential site is located in Winton, NC, in the northeastern part of the state, where Rivers Correctional Institution was previously in operation. Rivers Correctional closed in 2021 as part of the Biden administration’s plan to phase out contracts with private prisons.  ICE previously contracted with local jails in Alamance County, New Hanover County, and elsewhere to house detainees, although those arrested are more commonly sent to Stewart Detention Center in Georgia. Alamance County’s agreement with ICE was recently terminated in anticipation of the increased demand for jail beds arising from the passage of House Bill 307 (Iryna’s Law). Formerly incarcerated man buys former prison. Meanwhile, Kerwin Pittman, the executive director of the nonprofit Recidivism Reduction Educational Programs Services has purchased a former prison in Wayne County for $275,000 with the intention of turning it into a campus that will offer reentry support such as housing, work programs, and trauma-informed care to those leaving prison. Pittman served more than a decade in prison and has long had the goal of creating a space to assist the formerly incarcerated as they navigate the financial, logistical, and psychological challenges of reentry. Though his ultimate goal of raising $10 million to launch [...]