Behind Locked Doors: Inside North Carolina’s Juvenile Detention Centers
Disability Rights North Carolina’s (DRNC’s) latest public report, “Behind Locked Doors: Inside North Carolina’s Juvenile Detention Centers,” follows a 13-month monitoring initiative from July 2024 through August 2025 that included multiple visits to the state’s then 14 existing Juvenile Detention Centers (JDCs) and nearly 400 in-person interviews with youth confined in the facilities. DRNC’s findings show youth in NC’s Juvenile Detention Centers receive dramatically different treatment, education services, and other rehabilitative opportunities depending on the facility in which they are detained – and most of the facilities violate state policies regarding their operations, including the use of solitary confinement in some of the facilities. If we want our justice-involved youth to return to their communities healthier and with improved life skills, we must ensure that all JDCs operate as intended: to provide rehabilitation and sound education in a safe, trauma-informed environment. Read the Executive Summary: “Behind Locked Doors: Inside North Carolina’s Juvenile Detention Centers” - DRNC and the full report at the link below.
Early Bird Tickets for our 2026 Conference Now on Sale!
Registration is open! Join DRNC for our annual Disability Advocacy Conference May 6 at the Friday Conference Center in Chapel Hill. Early registration discount tickets available through March 15. We’re In This Together NC!
Paralympic games
The Olympics are over, but the Paralympic games are right around the corner! The games will be held in Milano and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, from March 6–15, 2026. This event marks the 14th Winter Paralympics. Find out more and stay tuned for this exciting event!
ICYMI: DRNC in the News
Report alleges solitary confinement use in NC juvenile detention
Carolina Journal, March 2, 2026
State election board rejects Burney appeal, Sumpter remains Red Springs’ mayor-elect
The Robesonian, February 25, 2026
State Elections Board Denies Appeal in Red Springs Mayoral Protest
Border Belt Independent, February 25, 2026
‘Something needs to change’: Report details isolation at NC juvenile detention centers
NC Health News, February 24, 2026
Conditions in NC juvenile detention centers led to a closure and a lawsuit
NC Newsline, February 23, 2026
Probe confirms NC juvenile detention problems. Some kids locked up, isolated.
The News and Observer, February 20, 2026
An NC advocacy group reports youth in solitary confinement. The state denies it.
NC Newsline, February 19, 2026
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About Us
Disability Rights North Carolina (DRNC) is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization. We are North Carolina’s protection and advocacy system, dedicated to advancing and defending the rights of people with disabilities.
Disability Rights North Carolina
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