Blog
NCAOC Develops School Justice Partnership Toolkit
The North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts is developing a Toolkit for chief district court judges and other stakeholders to implement School Justice Partnerships. The Toolkit provides resources to help community partners develop and implement the School Justice Partnership, including action lists, timelines, a model agreement, and templates for other necessary documents. The School […]
New Book Explores Troubling Treatment of Mental Illness in Jails
In her new book, “Insane: America’s Criminal Treatment of Mental Illness,” journalist Alisa Roth explores the incarceration of mentally ill individuals in the United States. She exposes a world in which correctional officers are substituted for mental health professionals without adequate training, and are left to manage a widespread mental health crisis in prisons and jails. Roth […]
NC State Bar Investigates Lawyer for Treatment of Vulnerable Exonerees
The North Carolina state bar has launched an investigation against Florida lawyer Patrick Megaro for his treatment of two North Carolina exonerees, one of whom was exonerated from death row. Henry McCollum and his half-brother Leon served decades in prison for the rape and murder of an 11 year old girl before DNA evidence proved their […]
Memorial Powerfully Confronts Legacy of Lynching
On April 26, 2018, The Equal Justice Initiative opened the Memorial for Peace and Justice. It also opened the Legacy Museum, which tells the stories of the over 4,000 people killed by racial terror lynchings in the century after the Civil War. The museum highlights the connections between this history of terror to modern manifestations of violence […]
Mecklenberg County Commissioner Advocates for Hiring of Individuals with Criminal Records
Mecklenburg County commissioner Pat Cotham recently urged three health care CEOs to consider hiring people with criminal records as a way to give them a second chance. Her request occurred as part of a Charlotte Chamber health care summit, during a conversation about fighting local poverty. She was speaking to the chief executives of Atrium Health, Novant […]
NC Prisons Recognize Humanism as Religion
Kwame Teague is incarcerated at Warren Correctional Institution in North Carolina. Recently, after a six year process, Teague successfully petitioned to have humanism officially recognized as a religion by the North Carolina prison system. The American Humanist Association describes humanism as a nontheistic belief system and a “rational philosophy informed by science, inspired by art, and motivated […]
Prison Employees Get Minimal Punishment for Crimes on the Job
In a series of articles published last year, the News and Observer exposed rampant corruption in North Carolina prisons. In response, state lawmakers asked DPS to provide information about crimes committed by prison employees while on the job. A review of these crimes shows a pattern of employees receiving minimal punishment. In one case, an officer was accused […]
Fee Waiver Limitation Plan Details Emerge
Do you think judges should be shamed for refusing to criminalize poverty? As CJPC has reported before, the state legislature has enacted a plan to discourage judges from waiving court fines and fees. The legislature has required noticed to be mailed to every state or local entity that gets a portion of court fines and fees so […]
CJPC Partners with NC ACLU to Develop DA Questionnaires
The Carolina Justice Policy Center and the North Carolina ACLU have partnered together to provide a district attorney candidate questionnaire for the upcoming May 8th primary elections. The questionnaire is designed to help voters assess which candidates support criminal justice reform. To view the questionnaire and candidate responses, click here.
UVA Law School Creates Interactive Death Penalty Map
The University of Virginia School of Law has created a new online resource that allows users to explore death penalty practices in the United States from 1991 to 2017. The resource consists of an interactive map that provides data about the number of death sentences by county. It allows users to compare and contrast different counties over […]
Greene and Lenoir Counties Launch School-Justice Partnership
Greene and Lenoir Counties are working towards keeping children in schools and out of jails. By launching a School-Justice Partnership, they seek to reduce law enforcement involvement in school misconduct. As part of the partnership, schools have signed an agreement outlining strategies for addressing misconduct. Currently, students of color and students with disabilities are overrepresented among suspended and […]
Litigation Challenges Cash Bail System
Bail reform advocates around the country now have a new tool to challenge the cash bail system. In North Carolina, the inequality created by cash bail has prompted advocates to push for pretrial release based on evidence of dangerousness and flight risk rather than ability to pay for bail. Only 10.4 percent of North Carolinians live in […]
Experimental Writing Course Provides Alternative to Jail
In Richmond, VA, a new diversion program is providing an opportunity for transformative self reflection. The program, called “Writing Your Way Out: A Criminal Justice Diversion Program” allows participants to take a Virginia Commonwealth University writing course as an alternative to jail. It is part of a partnership between VCU, the VCU College of Humanities and Sciences, […]
NC Police Officer Opens Up About Mistreatment of Black Men by Police
Shaunte Southern is a Sergeant in Gaston County, North Carolina. He has served primarily with patrol and the SWAT team. In a recent essay he wrote for The Undefeated, he opens up about racism in law enforcement. He writes, “[t]o be honest with you, I think that African-American males are treated differently by law enforcement, and that’s my honest opinion. I think this fear of black men is real. As a black officer, sometimes you feel like people expect or want you to pick a side- when in fact you can be both pro-black or pro-police.”
Stanly County Sheriff to Use Armed Volunteers in Schools
Do you want armed volunteers in your local schools? This is yet another issue of critical importance to engage your local sheriff. In Stanly County, the school board recently passed a measure that would allow the Stanly County Sheriff to place armed volunteers in schools. These volunteers will include former law enforcement and military police officers. Volunteers will be […]