Blog
U.S. Imprisonment Has Dropped Since 2008 Peak
The U.S Imprisonment rate has dropped 11% since peaking in 2008, according to the Pew Charitable Trust Public Safety Performance Project. This marks the lowest rate since 1997. The decrease has coincided with long-term reductions in crime. Since 2008, combined national and property crime rates have dropped 23 percent. 36 states have experienced this decrease in imprisonment, with declines […]
CJPC Assesses Needs of Returning Citizens as Part of State Reentry Council Collaborative
The State Reentry Council Collaborative was created by the General Assembly to study the needs of individuals with criminal records as they return from correctional institutions. The goal of the council is to improve the effectiveness of local reentry councils. Members of the council include various governmental agencies, faith-based and community-based nonprofits, and local reentry council intermediary […]
Democracy NC Provides Voter Information Cards for Women
Inspired by the 2018 Women’s Marches focused on taking women’s “power to the polls”, Democracy NC has created “Women Vote in 2018” postcards for distribution. The cards feature important information about this year’s justice elections, including elections of sheriffs, judges, and district attorneys in 2018. Postcards should arrive a few days after submission of an order and […]
Judicial Redistricting On Hold…For Now
After what seemed like a special session with no end, the North Carolina General Assembly finally adjourned on February 13, 2018. The good news is that opponents to the proposed judicial redistricting plan were able to stave off a vote that has the potential to drastically change the diversity and make up of the North […]
Charges Dismissed After Prosecutors Hide Evidence
While prosecutors have a large amount of discretion in their work, they are not permitted to hide evidence that could be exculpatory for a defendant. In a recent Colorado case, prosecutors possessed two reports that that pointed to other suspects since the beginning of the case, yet disclosed them 15 months after defendant David Bueno […]
Judge Makes Racist Remark at Law School
Serving as yet another example of the importance of making informed decisions when choosing judges at the ballot box, a judge made an appalling racist statement during a speaking engagement at a law school. While delivering a lecture on mediation and negotiation at the University of Calgary, Justice Kristine Eidsvik told the class that she felt […]
The Fight for Judicial Primaries
The NCGA is trying to take away our right to elect judges. If you are like most people the previous sentence is alarming, but you aren’t quiet sure what it means. CJPC is here to help you make sense of this important issue. What is the law right now related to judicial elections? There will […]
Another NC Jury Rejects the Death Penalty
On Wednesday, a Wake County jury sentenced Donovan Richardson to life in prison for his role in a 2014 double murder. He is one of three men accused in the crime of murdering two elderly men at their home in Fuquay Varina. One of the other men pleaded guilty and will serve life in prison, and […]
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 […]