News

Michele Easter is currently conducting a comprehensive study of “Death by Distribution” prosecutions in North Carolina with co-authors Rita Grunberg, Madeline Stenger, Lindsay Bass-Patel, Jeffrey Swanson, and Abigail Lee (A.B. ’25). Death by Distribution refers to homicide charges to prosecute a lethal overdose, specifically against the person who shared or sold a drug that led […]

The sheriff is one of the most powerful and least scrutinized figures in American law enforcement. That was the argument at the center of an evening with journalist, lawyer, and author Jessica Pishko, co-hosted by the Duke Justice Project, the Wilson Center for Science and Justice, the Duke Decarceration Project, and the Duke Law chapters […]

Part 2 of our Webinar Series “Life on Hold: The Impact of Driver’s License Suspensions” On March 19th, the Wilson Center for Science and Justice hosted the second installment of the three-part Life on Hold series. The discussion focused on “Failure to Appear” (FTAs), why people miss their court dates, how current responses to FTAs […]

Samantha Richter Reflects on her Time in Our McAtee JustScience Lab I replayed the same forty-five seconds of audio three times before I realized I’d stopped transcribing altogether. It was 10:30 p.m. on a Tuesday in my second semester of freshman year. My roommate had just gotten home, filling our dorm with the familiar sounds […]

Part 1 of Our Webinar Series: Life on Hold On February 19th, the Wilson Center for Science and Justice hosted the first installment of the three-part Life on Hold series. The discussion brought together researchers and individuals directly impacted by North Carolina’s driver’s license suspension policies to explore how they affect employment, economic mobility, and […]

In 2020, Duke alumnus Derek Wilson (A.B. ’86, M.B.A. ’90, P ’15) and the Wilson Foundation provided a $5 million grant to help found the Wilson Center for Science and Justice at Duke Law. In 2025, they renewed their commitment, enabling the Center to advance its critical research, policy, and educational activities. This partnership has […]

New research initiatives funded by the NC Collaboratory aim to improve care, reduce criminalization, and support successful reentry The Wilson Center for Science and Justice at Duke Law is pleased to announce three major research projects examining the intersection of mental health and the criminal legal system in North Carolina. These projects are part of a broader coalition of […]

The Case That Started It All In 2016, a woman named Maranda ODonnell was stopped by police while driving to pick up her four-year-old daughter. The charge was driving with a suspended license. A Harris County judge set her bail at $2,500. She couldn’t pay it. She sat in jail, not because she posed any […]