Blog
Senate Rules on Gov. Cooper's Cabinet Confirmation
When the General Assembly convened for the long session on January 11, 2017, the atmosphere among the legislators was congenial and light. A far cry from the atmosphere during the special sessions that rounded out 2016. While most of the day was swearing ins, lofty speeches, and ceremony, the Senate adopted one very important and […]
Charleston Case Ends in Death Sentence
Dylan Roof was sentenced to death on January 11 for the murder of 9 parishioners during Bible study at Mother Emanuel Baptist Church. Roof was sentenced for crimes that caused untold suffering to the nine families of those at Mother Emanuel, the surviving victims and the entire community. Roof seemed so intent on not allowing […]
Judge Orders Release of Police Shooting Video
The police body cam law was put to the test in Charlotte last week and earned an “A” for public access. Mecklenburg County Superior Court Judge Jesse Caldwell ordered all Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department body and dash cam video to be released in connection with the June 2 police shooting of Rodney Rodriguez Smith, a teenage […]
Death Penalty More Likely When Victim is White
An article entitled These Lives Matter, Those Ones Don’t: Comparing Execution Rates by the Race and Gender of the Victim in the US and in the Top Death Penalty States, recently published in the Albany Law Review, tackles data on how the race of a victim impacts the imposition of the death penalty. What the […]
Conference on Jails and Mental Health
December 16, 2016, North Carolina Council on Community Programs kicked off its 2016 conference with a very informative pre-conference session on the community & LME/MCO role in reducing the number of people with mental illness in jail. Information on the Stepping Up Initiative was presented from National, State, and Local perspectives. There are about 28 […]
General Assembly Second Surprise Special Session Adjourns With No Repeal of the Bathroom Law
What many political activists thought would be an early holiday gift turned out to be a lump of coal. The North Carolina General Assembly returned to Raleigh last Wednesday under the auspices of repealing the notorious Bathroom Law that hangs, like an anchor, around the neck of North Carolina’s economy and reputation around the country […]
Lawsuits Challenging General Assembly Power Grab Start Rolling In
As promised by Governor Elect Cooper, the lawsuits challenging the laws passed during the surprise special session have already started to be filed. As of the drafting of this article, two lawsuits have already been filed, with the promise of more to come. For a refresher on what laws were passed during the special session, […]
Governor Roy Cooper
It’s official! On January 1, 2017, Roy Cooper was sworn in as Governor of North Carolina. He took his oath of office minutes after the start of the new year. He will have his public inauguration ceremony next week. Governor Cooper has his work cut out for him and there is so much work to […]
NC Institute on Medicine Issues Recommendations
The North Carolina Institute of Medicine’s (NCIOM) Task Force on Mental Health and Substance Use recently presented recommendations to the Joint Committee on Health and Human Services. The NCIOM is funded by the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust, with the goal of developing recommendations to increase and improve community-based and evidence-informed prevention, treatment, and recovery […]
Update on Governor's Task Force on Mental Health and Substance Use Pilot Programs
The legislative Committee on Health and Human Services recently received a November update about pilot programs developed from the Governor’s Task Force on Mental Health and Substance Use. Dr. Jason Vogler, Director of The Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services outlined with greater specificity how the funds will be allocated. The […]
McCrory Concedes Governor's Race to Roy Cooper
At noon on December 5, 2016, Gov. Pat McCrory conceded the Governor’s race to Roy Cooper after a hotly contested race and post-election battle in which Gov. McCrory alleged voter fraud. Over the weekend, Durham County had been required to begin recounting its votes and with over half the votes counted by Monday morning, the […]
Felons Who Have Completed a Sentence CAN Vote
As the Governor’s race continues to be contested, accusations of felons voting have been filed by the McCrory campaign. It’s important for all parties to understand some basic facts: A person convicted of a felon is allowed to vote in North Carolina once they have completed all supervision. A person convicted of a misdemeanor is […]
Death Penalty Updates from Across the Country
There were important referendums on the death penalty on the ballot in several states on November 9th. Despite some of these setbacks, actual executions and support for the death penalty continue to be on a downward trend. Oklahoma amended its State Constitution to protect the death penalty and declare that it cannot be deemed cruel […]
And on the National Stage…
As Trump begins to assemble his cabinet, serious concerns exist not only about the ways in which progress may be eroded, but also about how local police and state criminal justice systems will be used to carry out an agenda that has already been sharply focused on deporting immigrants. Here’s just a few concerns on […]
Another Important Step for Raising the Age
The Raise the Age Coalition is building momentum towards finally making substantive change to the laws in North Carolina. The North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association is the latest group to throw its support behind raising the age in North Carolina. Previously, the Association’s Executive Committee voted to support raising the age. Just this month, the entire […]