Hugs OK again at NC prison visits

Off limits for more than a year because of the pandemic, "contact visits" – at least for vaccinated inmates – are allowed again as of Friday, system spokesman John Bull said in an email.

"Vaccinated offenders may hug a visitor, but both must continue to wear masks and to sanitize their hands upon entering the visitation area," Bull said. "Non-contact visits will continue to be permitted for offenders who have not been vaccinated."

Non-contact visits can also be in person, but people are told not to touch. Many prisons also offer video visits, Bull said.

All visits require an appointment, and prison wardens around the state "will determine visitation conditions and schedules at individual facilities, depending on local conditions," Bull said.

He added that visitors should call the day before a scheduled visit to confirm details.

Vaccination rates at state prisons vary widely by facility, but nearly 63 percent of people imprisoned system-wide are vaccinated, Bull said, as is about 50 percent of the staff.

"Please know Prisons continues to educate staff and offenders on the benefits of being vaccinated and stands ready to vaccinate anyone in the prison system, staff or offenders, who ask to be vaccinated," Bull said. "In addition, vaccinations are offered to all offenders newly arrived to the prison system, as well as those who are about to leave prison and those who are transferred from one prison to another."