North Carolina’s largest prison, Lanesboro Correctional Institution, one of the state’s most dangerous and understaffed prisons, will soon be converted to a women’s institution, reports the Charlotte Observer. It is a major change that state leaders hope will improve safety and security. Lanesboro, a maximum-security prison located 45 miles southeast of Charlotte, will get a new name: Anson Correctional Institution. For years, Lanesboro has been roiled by violence and corruption. Dozens of officers and inmates have been attacked there since it opened in 2004.
An Observer investigation found that at least eight officers were caught bringing in drugs, cellphones and tobacco from early 2013 to early 2017. The state’s plan calls for transferring most of the 1,800 male inmates to other prisons. “We are converting the facilities to enhance safety and security,” said prison director Kenneth Lassiter. He said the changes should “improve management of close custody male inmates who require greater supervision by moving them into smaller facilities and smaller housing units.” It will take up to a year to make the changes. Staff shortages at Lanesboro have made a dangerous situation more so, some officers say. In January, more than one of every three officer positions at the prison was vacant.