by Mandie Sellars | Aug 13, 2018 | Criminal Justice Reform, Emancipate NC News, Mass Incarceration, Policing
By Mandie Sellars, CJPC Board Member It wasn’t until I saw the coffin-sized metal box above my head with the name Wake County on it that I froze. My body could no longer move, as tears streamed silently down my cheeks. The box bore three simple pieces of data: the...
by Mandie Sellars | Jul 13, 2018 | Criminal Justice Reform, Emancipate NC News, Mass Incarceration
The prison safety issues in North Carolina are representative of a larger, national issue. Federal prisons nationwide are understaffed and have been so for some time. However, the hiring freeze at the beginning of the Trump administration and emphasis on reducing the...
by Mandie Sellars | Jul 13, 2018 | Criminal Justice Reform, Emancipate NC News, Mass Incarceration
From 1998 to 2017, 12 people committed suicide in the Durham County jail by hanging themselves from window bars or ventilation grates. Although public records show that Durham County officials were aware of the suicide hazards, the last updates are just now being...
by Mandie Sellars | Jul 13, 2018 | Criminal Justice Reform, Emancipate NC News, Legislative Updates, Mass Incarceration
In mid-June, the North Carolina Senate passed House Bill 774, “Amend Certificates of Relief.” Courts can issue “certificates of relief” to individuals. With this certificate, if that person is hired and commits a crime involving their job or...
by Mandie Sellars | Jun 7, 2018 | Criminal Justice Reform, Emancipate NC News, Mass Incarceration
Kim Ogg, the District Attorney of Harris County, Texas, has made the decision to stop prosecuting cases with very small amounts of drugs, known as “trace cases.” Ogg ran on a promise to make these changes in her 2014 campaign and successful 2016 campaign...
by Mandie Sellars | Jun 7, 2018 | Criminal Justice Reform, Emancipate NC News, Mass Incarceration
Satana Deberry won the primary on May 8 to become the next District Attorney for Durham County, unseating incumbent District Attorney Roger Echols. She will begin her term in January. Deberry, who has done criminal justice advocacy and policy work for 18 years, ran as...
