MEDIA ADVISORY: Press event on July 10 to highlight, urge lawmakers to pass NC Second Chance Act

WHAT: Press event in support of Second Chance Act (SB 562)
WHERE: NC General Assembly Press Room, 16 W. Jones Street, Raleigh
WHEN: Wednesday, July 10, 9:00 a.m.

RALEIGH (July 9, 2019) – Groups from across the state, including the NC Conference of District Attorneys, will come together to support the NC Second Chance Act (SB 562) at a press event on Wednesday, July 10.

The bipartisan “clean slate” Second Chance Act, which passed the NC Senate on May 8, automatically expunges criminal charges that are dismissed or disposed “not guilty” after July 1, 2020. It also allows individuals to petition for expungement of all nonviolent misdemeanor convictions after seven years of good behavior. The bill’s primary sponsors are Senator Danny Britt, Senator Warren Daniel, and Senator Floyd McKissick.

“Criminal records of all types, even dismissed charges, cause devastating ‘collateral consequences’ for many of the more than 2 million North Carolinians with criminal records,” said Daniel Bowes, director of the NC Justice Center’s Fair Chance-Criminal Justice Project. “People of color are even more likely to face severe barriers to reentry and opportunity.”

People striving to lead prosperous, law-abiding lives face unnecessary, exclusions from jobs, homes, and other opportunities for years after exiting the criminal justice system. By allowing people with dismissed charges and old nonviolent convictions to expunge their criminal records and find good employment, North Carolina will gain tax revenues, reduce the high costs of a revolving-door criminal justice system, and make communities safer.

The NC General Assembly has passed several laws meant to make expunctions accessible to people with dismissed charges and old nonviolent convictions. Unfortunately, the General Assembly’s efforts have not resulted in a significant number of people obtaining expunction relief. As in many other states, there is a “second chance gap” between people eligible for relief and people obtaining relief. SB 562 will help close the second chance gap.

The following groups stand in support of the Second Chance Act:

ACLU of North Carolina
Advocates for Justice
ALEC Action
The American Conservative Union
Americans for Prosperity
Benchmarks
Black Workers for Justice
Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy
Community Success Initiative
Concerned Veterans for America
Conservatives for Criminal Justice Reform
Disability Rights North Carolina
Faith & Freedom Coalition
Forward Justice
Freedom Works
Mom’s Rising
National Association of Social Workers – North Carolina Chapter
North Carolina Chamber of Commerce
North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys
North Carolina Justice Center
North Carolina NAACP
North Carolina Second Chance Alliance
Prison Fellowship
Right on Crime
UE-150