News & Blog
Announcing Our 2019 Poetic Justice Event
On July 13, 2019 at 3:00 pm in the Durham Friends Meeting located at 404 Alexander Avenue in Durham, the Carolina Justice Policy Center will host their Second Annual Poetic Justice storytelling event. In this powerful event, criminal justice advocates will collaborate...
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CJPC Executive Director Joins Local Activists to Demand Accountability from Raleigh Police
On June 4, 2019, CJPC Executive Director Dawn Blagrove joined fellow activists in front of city hall to demand accountability from the Raleigh Police Department in the wake of Soheil Maharrad's recent death. Blagrove was joined by Rolanda Byrd (Raleigh PACT), Faisal...
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CJPC Named One of 16 Recipients of the Vera Institute for Justice “In Our Backyards” Grant
In partnership with the Wilson County NAACP, and CAPE, the Carolina Justice Policy Center is thrilled to announce they are one of sixteen organizations chosen to receive a Vera Institute for Justice "In Our Backyards" grant to combat mass incarceration in Wilson...
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Protecting an Incarcerated Durham Woman’s Right to Same-Sex Marriage
by Elizabeth Simpson, CJPC Associate Director Last week, a community activist called me. She told me that her friend Amanda Marriner, a formerly incarcerated woman, wanted to get married to another woman who is still in prison. However, the prison was blocking the...
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Guilty Plea is Far From Justice Served, But a Step in the Right Direction
The trial of Cameron Broadwell (pictured above) ended with a guilty plea. He will not serve any time in prison for terrorizing Kyron Hinton, but he will never work as a law enforcement officer in North Carolina again. He will do 200 hours of community service and...
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Kicked Out for Showing Up for Justice
by Dawn Blagrove, Executive Director I was 18 years old the first time I can recall seeing a law enforcement officer stand trial for using the power of a badge to terrorize a Black person. The video of Rodney King’s dehumanizing and brutal beating happened on my 17th...
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CJPC Staff and Interns Lobby for Second Chances
On May 7, the staff and interns of the Carolina Justice Policy Center visited with state legislators to encourage them to pass the Second Chance Act. Today in North Carolina, justice-involved people must carry their criminal record with them for life, as it...
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CJPC Board Member Kristie Puckett-Williams Discusses Promising New Alternative to Cash Bail on Charlotte Radio Show
This April, CJPC board member Kristie Puckett-Williams, the regional field director for the ACLU of North Carolina, joined Mecklenburg DA Spencer Merriweather, Mecklenburg district court judge Elizabeth Trosch, and Mecklenburg public defender Kevin Tully on the WFAE radio show Charlotte Talks.
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CJPC Board Member Arrested for Speaking Out Against ICE
Community activist and new CJPC board member Rev. Curtis Gatewood was arrested in late February during an Alamance County Commissioner’s meeting he had signed up to offer public comment at.
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CJPC Executive Director Dawn Blagrove Receives 2019 Emerald Award
This April, the Raleigh Chapter of the Links, Incorporated honored CJPC Executive Director Dawn Blagrove with an Emerald Award at their 70th Anniversary Gala. The Emerald Award is an annual recognition program honoring women who have made significant contributions to the community. Blagrove was recognized for her commitment and advocacy for justice-involved people across North Carolina.
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Serial Podcast Episode Shows Exactly Why Only Voters Can Hold Judges Accountable
Every day at CJPC, we teach communities across North Carolina about the power their local elected officials have to make our criminal justice system more equitable, fair, and humane. Judges are one of the officials we talk a lot about, because their courtrooms are where they alone can determine if and for how long people are incarcerated.
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Alamance County NAACP Kicks Off Movement with Event Featuring CJPC
On February 16, the Alamance County NAACP kicked off their latest movement, “Stand Against Countywide Acts of Racial & Immigrant Criminalization” in an event that featured CJPC Executive Director Dawn Blagrove.
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Johnston County Sheriff Meeting Inspired by CJPC Vote4Justice Training
In January, CJPC Executive Director Dawn Blagrove traveled to Smithfield, North Carolina, to provide a Vote4Justice training for members of the African-American Caucus of the Johnston County Democratic Party and other community advocates.
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CJPC Helps Aim for Solutions, Not Promises in Forum
Are Corporations the Cause for Incarceration? No, but Capitalism Might Be.
When we examine the current state of justice in America there seems to be no rationality for why we incarcerate 2.3 million people. Yet if we peel away the layers of the prison system a possible answer comes to light: corporate interests.
read moreWhat I Learned from Court Observations in Forsyth County
Real court is not like Law & Order. Although this sounds like a fairly obvious truth, I didn’t grasp how truly different the real justice system was until I visited the Forsyth County courts. And perhaps the biggest misconception TV shows promote is the notion that a person can “have their day in court.”
read moreThe Death Penalty: Going Beyond Moral Arguments
The debate over the death penalty has long been about morality. Those in favor argue that the punishment must fit the crime, and that the taking of the life deserves the loss of one’s life.
read moreListen to CJPC Executive Director Dawn Blagrove’s Interview on WNCU 90.7 Legal Eagle Review
On December 16, 2018, CJPC Executive Director Dawn Blagrove joined Irving Joyner and April Dawson, law professors at North Carolina Central University School of Law, for their weekly one-hour show.
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CJPC Shares Common Sense Policing Reforms at NC NAACP Convention
This December CJPC, Executive Director Dawn Blagrove was able to share her breadth of expertise on a police accountability panel at the 75th Annual NAACP of NC State Convention in Raleigh.
read moreFilter Provides In-Depth Look at the The Power and Prejudice of DAs on Drugs
Prosecutors wield enormous power in the “war against drugs.” They have the ability to widen the net of who is convicted of drug charges in the way they interpret and pursue laws. This ranges from charging mothers addicted to drugs with child abuse, to combating anyone whose opinion differs from their own.
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CJPC Supports and Strategizes with Stop Killing Us
On Saturday, December 8, CJPC Executive Director Dawn Blagrove joined Rev. Curtis E. Gatewood, President & Founder for JUSTICE Ministration and the Stop Killing Us (SKU) Solutions Campaign and other community activists and families of police violence victims for a “Uniting the Streets” gathering in Durham (both pictured above).
read moreMidterm Wins for Reform Means Change is Possible — with Your Help!
While the election was truly a nail-biter, and ultimately filled with outcomes both wonderful and challenging, one thing was clear – the people of North Carolina are beginning to demand accountability and reform from their local elected officials. For that, we are inspired to keep the momentum going to bring real and lasting change to North Carolina’s criminal justice system, county by county.
read moreMATCH and Pharoah’s Daughter Provide Much Needed Services to Incarcerated Women and their Families
In North Carolina, moms that have given birth in prison are in need of many resources they are not offered by the current government systems. However, two incredible organizations in North Carolina are addressing the needs of mothers who have given birth in prison.
read moreNPR Series Explores Discipline and Women In Prison
In a series of four podcasts, NPR and the Northwestern University School of Journalism found that female inmates are disciplined disproportionately in prisons. Women get disciplined at higher rates than men, especially with smaller infractions. They get written up at two to three times the rate that men do for minor violations.
read morePrison Policy Initiative Examines Housing Insecurity Among Formerly Incarcerated Individuals
A recent new report from the Prison Policy Initiative provides the first estimate of housing insecurity in the 5 million formerly incarcerated individuals in the US. The report breaks down the prevalence of homelessness by demographic area and begins to assess some causes and solutions to the problem.
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