State prison inmates will soon find it tougher to make home visits as their sentences wind down. Governor Pat McCrory ordered a review of the program the Department of Public Safety has used for over four decades to reacclimate inmates to life outside prison walls. He approved four recommendations he and DPS leaders believe may cut back on parolees returning to prison.
New guidelines will require victims and district attorneys to be alerted when prisoners are on home visits. Inmates must also have permission beyond the head of their facility to participate. Convicted sex offenders would be barred from the program, and inmates serving life sentences could only participate if a parole date has been set for them.
The North Carolina Conference of D.A.s originally asked that the program be scrapped. Conference leaders said in a statement that they are reviewing the changes.