Late last week, Gov. Roy Cooper announced he would commute the sentences of April Barber, Joshua McKay, and Anthony Willis — three individuals who were sentenced to long terms in prison for crimes they committed when they were teenagers. This is the first time Cooper has exercised his clemency power since he was elected Governor […]
Tag: Gov. Roy Cooper
Everything You Need to Know About Clemency in North Carolina
By Ben Finholt and Jamie Lau On April 8, 2021, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper signed Executive Order 208, establishing the Juvenile Sentence Review Board. This board is a new mechanism for executive clemency, which has been described as “provid[ing] the ‘fail-safe’ in our criminal justice system.”[1] Often serving as the last resort for someone […]
After One Year, Racial Equity in Criminal Justice Task Force Still Working Toward Change
By Travis Thorpe Jr. Our Gov. Roy Cooper founded the Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice (TREC) with Executive Order 145 in June 2020. The mission of this task force is to promote equity in the criminal legal system for people of color. The main goal is to address the effects of systemic […]
Op-ed: NC is Failing the Wrongfully Convicted; HB 877 Could Help
Duke Law Professors James E. Coleman Jr. and Jamie T. Lau brought much-needed attention in an op-ed published Monday to the fact that even after serving 25 years in prison, North Carolina can get away with compensating the wrongfully convicted as little as $45. The op-ed was published by the News & Observer. For nearly […]
Governor Creates Board to Review Juvenile Sentences
By Ruthie Kesri Gov. Roy Cooper recently announced the creation of a four-person advisory board to review the prison sentences of juveniles. “Developments in science continue to show fundamental differences between juvenile and adult minds,” Cooper said in a press release. “For those who have taken significant steps to reform and rehabilitate themselves, this process […]
A Deeper Dive into the Recent Racial Equity Task Force Recommendations
By Annie Han In December, North Carolina’s Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice (TREC) released 125 recommendations that encompass all aspects of the criminal justice system, starting with police contact, then the courts, and sentencing. “North Carolina can reimagine public safety to provide accountability for victims and safety for communities without the grotesque […]
NC Lawmakers to Gov. Cooper: It’s Time to Release Ronnie Long
Fourteen North Carolina lawmakers from across the state are urging Gov. Roy Cooper to commute Ronnie Long’s sentence – he is represented by Jamie Lau at Duke Law School’s Wrongful Convictions Clinic. Long, a Black man who is now 64, was convicted in 1976 by an all white jury for the rape of a wealthy […]
Indy Week Publishes Powerful Letter to Cooper About COVID-19 in Prisons After Faye Brown’s Death
Ninety-eight people who are incarcerated in a federal prison in this country have died from COVID-19 in the past four months, and North Carolina is bearing the brunt of those losses with 25 deaths out of the Butner Federal Correctional Complex. There have also been six deaths in state-run prisons in North Carolina. Save for […]
Duke Law Faculty: Cooper Should Use Clemency Power, Release Related Records
Roy Cooper may become the first North Carolina governor in more than 40 years to complete a term without granting clemency to a single person, which includes sentence commutations and pardons of forgiveness or innocence. Three faculty at the Duke Law Center for Criminal Justice and Professional Responsibility wrote a strong editorial this week calling […]
Racial Equity in Criminal Justice Task Force to Meet for First Time Today
Gov. Roy Cooper has officially appointed the full 25-person Racial Equity in Criminal Justice Task Force, and the group will meet for the first time at 10 a.m. today. The Task Force will develop and help implement policy solutions to address systemic racial bias in criminal justice and submit legislative and municipal recommendations on or before […]