‘Smoother transition’: How a new DMV-issued ID can help NC inmates leaving prison
.png "A North Carolina state identification card looks like a driver’s license. The Division of Motor Vehicles is now making them available to inmates who are about to leave prison, to ease their transition back into society.")
The state is trying to ease the transition back into society for some prison inmates by saving them a trip to the DMV.
The N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles is making state-issued identification cards available to inmates who are about to be released. The ID cards are not driver’s licenses but they can be used whenever someone needs to show valid identification, says Todd Ishee, the state’s secretary of Adult Correction.
“Having a valid state ID provides offenders with access to employment, housing and benefits, including social services, medical care and education,” Ishee said in a written statement. “This collaboration is knocking down an obstacle for former offenders trying to make a new start after incarceration.”
About 20,000 people complete their sentences and are released from state prisons each year. Under the new arrangement between the two agencies, the correction department will send the DMV a list of inmates who have expressed interest in having a new state ID before their release. The DMV will then determine whether an inmate is eligible and have the card waiting when he or she walks out the gate.
“The transition back into their communities will be smoother if they don’t have to visit the local DMV office for an ID,” Brad Deen, spokesman for the Department of Adult Correction, wrote in an email. “Smoother transitions generally mean less tendency to reoffend.”
Which inmates are eligible for new ID?
Deen said the state doesn’t know yet how many inmates will take advantage of the new program, and there are restrictions that could limit that number. Inmates must have been a legal resident of North Carolina at least 12 months before being incarcerated and must have a verified residence after their release (that address will appear on the ID card).
They must also have had either a North Carolina driver’s license or ID prior to being sent to prison; the photo from that earlier card will be used on the new one. In addition, the new ID will invalidate any previous driver’s license or other state ID the inmate may have.
Finally, the cards are only available to inmates who have been in prison less than eight years. Federal ID requirements prohibit issuing a new card with a photo that’s more than eight years old, and the DMV isn’t taking new photos for these cards, said spokesman Marty Homan.
Most people leaving prison have been there far less than eight years; the average sentence for North Carolina inmates is a little less than a year, Deen said.
The state ID cards can be used to satisfy North Carolina’s new photo ID requirements for voting, provided the released inmate is registered to vote and meets other requirements. People convicted of felonies cannot vote in North Carolina until they have completed their sentence, including probation, post-release supervision or parole.
This story was originally published August 16, 2023 at 1:06 PM.
