About one in five name change requests in Alexander County come from inmates.

Longtime Superior Court Clerk Seth Chapman told Dome that he gets between 10 and 20 requests from inmates of the Alexander Correctional Institute out of about 50 a year.

The reasons given vary: Some say they never used their birth name, others cite religious reasons.

Chapman said that he already turns down a substantial number of the requests based on the state law that requires petitioners be "of good character." Often, other inmates are given as character references.

"The simple fact that you're in prison speaks to me about your character," he said.

He said he considers felony convictions for murder, rape and robbery more serious when considering name changes than driving while intoxicated.

Chapman supports a bill from Rep. Ray Warren that would shift the burden of proof to the prisoner away from the clerk.

A bill would make it harder for prisoners to change their names.

Rep. Ray Warren, an Alexander County Democrat, said he filed the bill after hearing from several Superior Court clerks about problems with inmates changing their names.

"It creates a problem with tracking, with paperwork and with record-keeping," he said. "This bill is meant to curtail that somewhat."

The bill would not ban name changes outright, but it would "reverse the burden of proof" from the clerk to the prisoner, Warren said. Prisoners who wanted to change their name for religious reasons, for example, could still do so if they showed a good reason.

He said the problem is particularly pronounced in counties with large prisons. 

Three of Warren's co-sponsors, Reps. Pat Hurley, Shirley Randleman and Timothy Spear, are former Superior Court clerks. 

Under state law, sex offenders are already barred from changing their names.