COVID-19 Donor Briefing Resources – Fair Chance Criminal Justice

Thank you again for participating in yesterday’s update on the Fair Chance Criminal Justice Project’s reform and relief efforts in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Here are links to access their resources mentioned during the call.
To access the recording from the call, visit this link.

If you are interested in learning more about these issues and/or engaging in advocacy efforts to support decarceration, please visit these links:

• Groups Urge NC Officials to Reduce and Protect Incarcerated Population Amidst Coronavirus Outbreak, NC Justice Center Press Release. Contains a link to letters delivered on March 19 to NC Governor Roy Cooper, NC Conference of District Attorneys, the NC Department of Public Safety, the NC Sheriff’s Association, and the NC Association of Chiefs of Police warning about the unique and incredible dangers of the coronavirus and recommending several aggressive actions to mitigate its spread in correctional facilities.
• NC Second Chance Alliance Covid-19 Advocacy and Action. As mentioned during the presentation, we are channeling most of our advocacy and relief efforts through the NC Second Chance Alliance, a statewide alliance of people with criminal records, their family members, service providers, congregations, community leaders, and concerned citizens that have come together to address the causes of criminal records and the barriers they create to successful reentry.
• NC Fines and Fees Coalition Covid-19 Updates. Members of the NC Fines and Fees Coalition delivered letters to several state agencies and legislators emphasizing the need to reduce the burden of fines, fees, and criminal justice debt in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
• “Durham DA, judge OK early release of convicted drug traffickers over COVID-19 concerns,” Raleigh News & Observer, April 9, 2020. This provides a good overview of the NC Justice Center’s initial efforts to help extract people from prison. Since this article was published, District Attorney Ben David (New Hanover/Pender) and District Attorney Lorrin Freeman (Wake) have also used consent MARs to free people from prison to protect the individuals from Covid-19.
• NC Advocates for Justice, “Advocates for the Incarcerated: Join Our Pro Bono Effort.” The NC Justice Center is partnering with NC Prisoner Legal Services, Advocates for Justice, and the Equal Access to Justice Commission to train and work with pro bono attorneys to address this burgeoning and urgent legal need. Please visit here to learn more about this pilot pro bono legal services delivery apparatus and to view the webinar training that occurred on May 1, 2020.
• Policy Watch Special Report: Covid-19 pandemic poses dire threat to NC prisons and jails. This is a special four-part series examining the threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic to jails, prisons and other detention facilities. The reports highlight stories about incarcerated individuals, staff members who are charged with caring for them and the Cooper administration’s response to calls for change before a potential outbreak.
• May 3 Letter from Local Elected Officials Urging Governor Cooper to Take Bolder Actions to Decarcerate State Prisons. The Justice Center helped local elected officials who drafted this letter better understand the issues and the urgent need for additional relief efforts
• To learn more about the Fair Chance Criminal Justice Project, visit the project’s webpage here. 
• Access all of the NC Justice Center’s information on COVID19 by clicking here.
• Take Action by clicking here

Members of the Project welcome your questions and feedback.
Please reach out by email using the contact information below.
Daniel Bowes, Director, danielb@ncjustice.org
Laura Holland, Staff Attorney, Laura@ncjustice.org
Ivy Johnson, Staff Attorney, Ivy@ncjustice.org
Quisha Mallette, Staff Attorney, Quisha@ncjustice.org
Jonathan Patton, Leslie Winner Civil Rights Litigation Fellow, Jonathan@ncjustice.org
Bill Rowe, General Counsel and Director of Advocacy, bill@ncjustice.org
Emily Turner, Staff Attorney, EmilyT@ncjustice.org