Blog
ACLU Report Exposes the Rise of Debtor's Prisons
by Molly Riesenberger The ACLU report, “In for a Penny: The Rise of America’s New Debtors’ Prisons,” presents the findings of a yearlong investigation into “debtors’ prisons,” exposing how poor defendants are increasingly being jailed for failure to pay legal debts that they cannot afford. Flashback to 1983 – The Court ruled in Bearden vs. […]
Campaign Aims to Reduce Use of Police Officers in Schools
On September 5, 2017, Donald Trump revoked the program DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). DACA was originally established under the Obama administration and allowed individuals who entered the United States as minors to receive a renewable two-year period of deferred action from deportation. The revocation puts thousands of undocumented students at risk for deportation.
Mecklenburg County Gets Big Grant for Criminal Justice Reform
The John D. And Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation announced a $2 million grant to Mecklenburg County’s Department of Criminal Justice Services to continue building on local efforts to implement criminal justice system reforms and safely reduce Mecklenburg County’s jail population. The grant is part of the Safety and Justice Challenge, a more than $100 million […]
Man Faces Death Penalty Because He Refused Plea Agreement
Rejecting a plea agreement means facing the death penalty for the unlucky defendants in North Carolina who live in the handful of counties that pursue the death penalty. As of 2012, only 14 of the 100 counties in North Carolina have sought the death penalty at trial. Norman Kennard Carter, Jr., awaiting trial in Forsyth […]
CJPC Criminal Justice Voter Education Campaign
As recent months have unfolded, we are all bombarded with news of threats to the dreams of dreamers, state-sanctioned hatred in many forms, and a return to a criminal justice system that seeks to address social problems by locking people away. As soon as we are presented with one battle to be fought, another one […]
Stay of Execution Issued Based on Blatant Juror Racism in Georgia Case
The US Supreme Court issued Georgia death row inmate Keith Tharpe a stay of execution last week because of racial bias from a juror who sentenced him back in 1990 for the murder of his sister-in-law, Jacquelin Freeman. The justices granted him the stay while they decide if they will take up the appeal. If […]
Right to Speedy Trial Thwarted in Alabama Death Penalty Case
The Sixth Amendment of the United States guarantees the right to a speedy trial – Kharon Davis has not been granted that right. At age 22, he was charged with capital murder and put in the county jail. Ten years later, he is still there, awaiting trial. He has not yet been found guilty, but […]
13th: A Lesson on Race, Justice, and Mass Incarceration
It has been about one year since film director Ava DuVernay released the documentary “13th.” This documentary is widely available on Netflix. Today, as the Black Lives Matter movement continues to unfold and national politics have veered towards a criminal justice system that yet again relies heavily on mass incarceration, 13th continues to provide useful […]
Stay of Execution Issued in Missouri Death Penalty Case
In a display of courage and commitment to justice, Missouri Governor Eric Greitens halted the execution of Marcellus Williams mere hours before he was scheduled to be executed on Tuesday. DNA testing raised questions about whether he had committed a murder during a 1998 burglary. Williams’ attorney cited DNA evidence found on the murder weapon that […]
When Law and Justice Part Ways
At the time this piece was published, four people had been arrested in Durham for allegedly taking down a Confederate statue. They allegedly broke the law. Now let’s talk about justice. History has painfully provided us with countless examples of how law and justice, though they are two related concepts, can be different. Far too […]
Waiting to Die on North Carolina's Death Row
By Amanda Witwer, UNC-Chapel Hill Public Policy Student Apart from being an avid reader and a devoted Tarheel fan, my pen pal is an inmate who has spent the last nineteen years of his life on North Carolina’s death row. Out of respect for his privacy, I will refer to him with a pseudonym. […]
A Lesson on Humanity: An Intern's First Visit to Death Row
This month, Carolina Justice Policy Center Intern Olivia Pennoyer visited an inmate on death row. She documented her experience in an essay: This summer I met a man on death row. Usually when this fact finds its way into conversations with friends and family, they ask questions: Why? Were you scared? What did you say? […]
Ohio Execution
On July 26, 2017, the state of Ohio executed Ronald Phillips. This execution marked the first after a three and a half year moratorium. It is yet another example of why death penalty moratoriums should not lull activists into a false sense of complacency. To learn more about this execution, visit https://www.aclu.org/blog/speak-freely/tomorrow-ohio-plans-restart-executions-drugs-known-torture?redirect=blog/speak-freely/tomorrow-state-ohio-will-risk-torturing-man-death
Governor Cooper Signs Raise the Age Proclamation
Last Friday, Governor Roy Cooper signed a proclamation celebrating that 16 and 17 year olds will no longer be tried in adult court for misdemeanor charges. While teens accused of violent felonies and some drug crimes may still be charged as adults, the progress made towards raising the age is certainly something to celebrate. The […]
New Ruling Supports Exorbitant Costs of Phone Calls With Inmates
Families with incarcerated loved ones will continue to face challenges as they grapple with the exorbitant cost of phone calls with inmates. These calls can be as high as $10 per minute at some facilities. Two years ago, telecom companies and some state governments filed suit against FCC rules which limited the price of in […]