Last week, Emancipate NC joined with the Wilson County NAACP to host a forum on juvenile justice at the Wilson Community College. The guest speakers were Emancipate NC Executive Director Dawn Blagrove, Attorney LaToya Powell, the Deputy General Counsel of the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, and Sheriff Calvin Woodard.
Local Wilson County leaders presented data about the reductions in the numbers of juveniles facing criminal charges since our partnership began in April 2019, three years ago. Over that time, Emancipate NC, the Community Alliance for Public Education, and the Wilson County NAACP have worked steadily to educate the community, including public school and justice system stakeholders, about the need to lessen the impact of the carceral state. Our work is paying off! Criminal justice referrals from SROs are way down in Wilson County, and the public schools are increasingly implementing restorative practices.