Pasquotank Correctional Institution

Last updated
Pasquotank Correctional Institution
Pasquotank Correctional Institution
Location527 Commerce Drive
Elizabeth City, North Carolina, U.S.
Coordinates 36°21′42″N76°18′39″W / 36.36156°N 76.31079°W / 36.36156; -76.31079
StatusOpen
Security classClose and minimum security
Capacity896 total, 640 close, 256 minimum
Opened1996
Managed by North Carolina Department of Correction
Warden Daniel Everett [1] [2]

Pasquotank Correctional Institution is a state prison located in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. [3]

Contents

Pasquotank Correctional Institution houses male close custody inmates, and has a capacity of 896. There is also a 256-bed minimum security prison adjacent to the prison, which was funded by a $87.5 million prison construction program approved by the North Carolina General Assembly in July 1993. [3]

On October 12, 2017, Pasquotank Correctional Institution became the site of the deadliest escape attempt in North Carolina history when four inmates attempted to escape from the facility, killing four facility employees in the process.

History

Pasquotank Correctional Institution was dedicated on March 27, 1996. A $33.7 million construction project was funded in July 1991 as part of a $103 million prison construction program. The institution was built using the same design as Foothills and Marion correctional institutions in Western North Carolina. [3]

2017 escape attempt

On October 12, 2017, Pasquotank Correctional Institution became the site of the deadliest escape attempt in North Carolina history when four inmates used tools gathered from the prison's sewing factory to stab and bludgeon four facility employees to death, including two correctional officers, a correction enterprise manager, and a maintenance mechanic. [4]

A total of four inmates and 10 prison employees were injured during the escape attempt, which began with inmates starting a fire in the facility's sewing plant. Two employees, 35-year-old corrections officer Justin Smith and 50-year-old correction enterprises manager Veronica Darden, died of their injuries the day of the incident. [5] [6] Two other facility employees, 49-year-old corrections officer Wendy Shannon and 31-year-old maintenance mechanic Geoffrey Howe, also died as a result of injuries sustained during the attack. [7] [8]

Mikel Edward Brady II, one of the prisoners involved in the botched escape attempt, was charged with four counts of first-degree murder in connection with the incident, as well as prison escape, attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, and intent to kill. In October 2019, just over two years after the incident occurred, Brady was found guilty of all 14 charges against him. The jury required just over half an hour of deliberation before returning with the verdict.

District attorney Andrew Womble alleged that the escape attempt and attack had been planned for months in advance, and that although three other inmates participated in the event and were charged with murder, Brady was the ringleader. Brady confirmed that he and the other inmates, who were incarcerated in the same part of the prison, had been planning for months. They specifically chose a Thursday to launch the attempt because they knew that no one would be watching the loading dock. Justin Smith, one of the four fatalities of the attack, had his radio stolen because Brady observed that he "was not a good communicator". Brady planned the escape because "prisoners were treated unfairly, and the race card was always thrown." [9]

Brady was subsequently sentenced to death for his role in the murders; the jury required just over an hour of deliberation to reach this decision. [10]

Following the incident, security measures at the institution were enhanced, including access to tools becoming more restricted. Likewise, the North Carolina prison system increased safety measures by issuing body armor to guards and tasers to supervisors. On October 12, 2022, exactly five years after the incident, Pasquotank staff released balloons into the sky and observed a moment of silence. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingston Penitentiary</span> Former Canadian maximum security prison

Kingston Penitentiary is a former maximum security prison located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, between King Street West and Lake Ontario.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Folsom State Prison</span> Prison in Folsom, California, United States

Folsom California State Prison is a California State Prison in Folsom, California, U.S., approximately 20 miles (32 km) northeast of the state capital of Sacramento. It is one of 34 adult institutions operated by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ADX Florence</span> Federal supermax prison located in Fremont County, Colorado, US

The United States Penitentiary, Administrative Maximum Facility, commonly known as ADX Florence or the Florence Supermax, is an American federal prison in Fremont County to the south of Florence, Colorado, operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. ADX Florence, constructed in 1994 and opened one year later, is classed as a supermax or "control unit" prison, that provides a higher, more controlled level of custody than a regular maximum security prison. ADX Florence forms part of the Federal Correctional Complex, Florence, which is situated on 49 acres of land and houses different facilities with varying degrees of security, including the adjacent United States Penitentiary, Florence High.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CoreCivic</span> U.S. prison-operating company

CoreCivic, formerly the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), is a company that owns and manages private prisons and detention centers and operates others on a concession basis. Co-founded in 1983 in Nashville, Tennessee by Thomas W. Beasley, Robert Crants, and T. Don Hutto, it received investments from the Tennessee Valley Authority, Vanderbilt University, and Jack C. Massey, the founder of Hospital Corporation of America.

North Branch Correctional Institution (NBCI) is a high-tech, maximum security prison or "hyper-max prison" operated by the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services in Cresaptown, unincorporated Allegany County, near Cumberland, Maryland, USA.

Pontiac Correctional Center, established in June 1871, is an Illinois Department of Corrections maximum security prison for adult males in Pontiac, Illinois. The prison also has a medium security unit that houses medium to minimum security inmates and is classified as Level 3. Until the 2011 abolition of the death penalty in Illinois, the prison housed male death row inmates, but had no execution chamber. Inmates were executed at the Tamms Correctional Center. Although the capacity of the prison is 2172, it has an average daily population of approximately 2000 inmates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holman Correctional Facility</span> Alabama prison and execution center

William C. Holman Correctional Facility is an Alabama Department of Corrections prison located in Atmore, Alabama. The facility is along Alabama State Highway 21, 9 miles (14 km) north of Atmore in southern Alabama.

Kent Institution is a Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) facility located in Agassiz, British Columbia. Opened in 1979, Kent is the only maximum security federal penitentiary in the CSC's Pacific region, which includes the province of British Columbia and the Yukon territory. The majority of prisoners at the facility are sentenced in other provinces. Educational programs, as well as socialization and employment, play a significant role at the institution. The facility employs over 300 people. The capacity is 378.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Penitentiary, Hazelton</span> American federal prison in West Virginia

The United States Penitentiary, Hazelton is a high-security United States federal prison for male inmates in West Virginia. The high-security facility has earned the nickname "Misery Mountain" by the inmates who are incarcerated there. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. The facility has a satellite prison camp for minimum-security male offenders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union Correctional Institution</span> State prison in Union County, Florida

The Union Correctional Institution, formerly referred to as Florida State Prison, Raiford Prison and State Prison Farm is a Florida Department of Corrections state prison located in unincorporated Union County, Florida, near Raiford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Carolina Department of Public Safety</span>

The North Carolina Department of Public Safety (NCDPS) is an umbrella agency that carries out many of the state's law enforcement, emergency response and homeland security functions. The department was created in 1977 as the Department of Crime Control and Public Safety. In 2012, the North Carolina Department of Correction and the North Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention were merged with Crime Control & Public Safety to create the new agency.

Management & Training Corporation or MTC is a contractor that manages private prisons and United States Job Corps centers, based in Centerville, Utah. MTC's core businesses are corrections, education and training, MTC medical, and economic & social development. MTC operates 21 correctional facilities in eight states. MTC also operates or partners in operating 22 of the 119 Job Corps centers across the country. They also operate in Great Britain, under the name MTCNovo.

The Saguaro Correctional Center (SCC) is a private prison for male inmates, owned and operated by CoreCivic located in Eloy, Pinal County, Arizona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women</span>

North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women (NCCIW) is the primary North Carolina Department of Public Safety prison facility housing female inmates on a 30-acre (12 ha) campus in Raleigh, North Carolina, and serves as a support facility for the six other women's prisons throughout the state. The facility's inmate population, which is the largest in the state, consists of inmates from all custody levels and control statuses including death row, maximum security, close custody, medium security, minimum security, and safekeepers.

Capital punishment is a legal penalty in the U.S. state of North Carolina.

The Tabor Correctional Institution, also known as Tabor City Prison, is a prison within the North Carolina Department of Public Safety located in Tabor City, North Carolina. It houses over 1700 mixed classification inmates. The prison opened in 2008. The prison is located at 4600 West Swamp Fox Highway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Steinburg</span> American politician from North Carolina

Bob Steinburg is an American politician and former Republican member of the North Carolina General Assembly. He served 3 terms in the North Carolina House of Representatives and 1.5 terms in the North Carolina Senate.

Lanesboro Correctional Institution is a state men's prison in Polkton, North Carolina, first opened in January, 2004 and operated by the North Carolina Department of Public Safety Adult Corrections. As one of the state's four largest prisons, the official capacity is 1,800 prisoners. The facility houses medium- and close-security inmates.

Bertie Correctional Institution is a state men's prison in Windsor, North Carolina, first opened in August 2006, and operated by the North Carolina Department of Public Safety. As one of the state's four largest prisons, the official capacity is 1,400 prisoners, all held in Close Custody. The site is near the Cashie River.

Quincy Jovan Allen is an American serial killer who killed four people between July and August in a crime spree in 2002. He was sentenced to death for his crimes in South Carolina, and is currently awaiting execution.

References

  1. ↑ "Pasquotank Correctional Institution". NC Department of Adult Correction. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Daniel Everett Named Warden at Pasquotank Correctional Institution". Raleigh, North Carolina: North Carolina Department of Public Safety. November 1, 2021. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 "Pasquotank Correctional Institution". North Carolina Department of Public Safety. Archived from the original on January 30, 2023. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  4. 1 2 Deen, Brad (October 12, 2022). "Five-Year Anniversary: Prisons Remembers the Pasquotank Tragedy". North Carolina Department of Public Safety . Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  5. ↑ Web Staff (October 12, 2017). "Two officers killed in Pasquotank Correctional Institution incident". Elizabeth City, North Carolina: WTKR . Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  6. ↑ Astor, Maggie (October 12, 2017). "2 North Carolina Prison Workers Killed in Fiery Escape Attempt" . The New York Times . Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Third Pasquotank Correctional Institution employee dies from injuries sustained in attack". Elizabeth City, North Carolina: WTKR. October 30, 2017. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  8. ↑ WECT Staff (November 2, 2017). "Fourth Pasquotank Correctional Institution employee dies". Elizabeth City, North Carolina: WECT . Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  9. ↑ Boykin, Nick; Donovan, Chelsea (October 17, 2019). "Man found guilty of all charges in deadly 2017 Pasquotank Co. prison attack". Pasquotank County, North Carolina: WTKR . Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  10. ↑ Rago, Gordon (October 28, 2019). "Jurors sentence Mikel Brady to death in deadly North Carolina prison breakout attempt". The Virginian-Pilot . Retrieved January 27, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.