News & Blog
Our Growing Evolution to EmancipateNC
by Dawn Blagrove, Executive Director The American system of criminal justice is irreparably broken. There is no way to reform a system that cannibalizes the souls of all who have the misfortune to be touched by it. Those two simple truths led Carolina Justice Police...
Can the Taxpayers of Raleigh (or Any Municipality) Afford NOT to Have a Police Oversight Board?
The City of Raleigh is facing another lawsuit because it refuses to take the issue of police accountability seriously. According to WRAL, a 26-year-old woman claims that she was inappropriately touched by RPD officer K.E. Van Althius. A retired police officer who...
Citations Instead of Arrests Lower Wilson County Incarceration Rate
(Read full story from the Public News Service) Police officers in Wilson County are taking steps to reduce the region's high incarceration rate by issuing citations to people for nonviolent misdemeanors, rather than arresting them. Criminal-justice reform advocates...
Emancipate NC Says Law Enforcement Brutalizing Citizens Can Never Be Justified
Emancipate NC, a project of Carolina Justice Policy Center (CJPC), is a statewide criminal justice policy center. In reviewing the cell phone footage of the incident involving 18 year old girl, T’Ziah Kelly, we cannot find any justifiable reason for the level of...
More State-Level Progress Needed to Effectively Address Durham Rise in Gun Violence
By Wyatt Russell, CJPC Fellow On Friday September 13, CJPC fellow Wyatt Russell attended the Crime Cabinet in the Durham County Commission Chambers, and submitted the following reflection. This quarter’s Durham Crime Cabinet showed both progress and a lack thereof....
Police Accountability Scorecard for Raleigh City Elections
ACLU of NC, in partnership with the Carolina Justice Policy Center, North Carolina Asian Americans Together, Raleigh PACT, and El Pueblo, recently researched and released a candidate scorecard of the city of Raleigh officials about their positions on police...
A Black Mother’s Worst Fears
By Attorney Dawn Blagrove, CJPC Executive Director Most Mothers never stop wanting to protect their children from harm. For mothers of Black sons, two of the most dreaded harms are getting sent to prison and dying. With today's plague of mass incarceration across the...
Unlocked Up by endlesswill (poetry from Poetic Justice 2019)
When the convictionA mere sentencingTakes away more than the prescribed commitmentDoes it matter the crime?And more so Who is really the victim?As the judge Is so quick to judgeRuled By the rules that hold us and knows that what really hold usIs that No one can really...
Poetic Justice Preview Held for the Religious Coalition for a Nonviolent Durham
On June 27, 2019, CJPC staff previewed Poetic Justice at the monthly meeting of the Religious Coalition for a Nonviolent Durham. RCND is an organization comprised of individuals, who as an expression of their faith and goodwill, come alongside neighbors most-affected...
Take Time to Watch the Disturbing, yet Necessary “When They See Us”
by Sierra Riley, Student at Ravenscroft High School and CJPC Intern The Netflix documentary series When They See Us is disturbing, but necessary to watch. The film not only shares the story of the Central Park Five, it brings awareness to the broken legal system which...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
What 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.”