Fair Chance Project to host Community Conversation series on decarcerating North Carolina

This month, the Decarcerate Now! NC Coalition is launching their fifth and final Vigil for Freedom and Racial Justice. The Vigil is an initiative dedicated to advocating for justice, fairness, and second chances for individuals incarcerated in the state’s prisons, particularly focusing on people of color and those facing poverty.

Registration has opened to attend the Vigil’s virtual Community Conversation series, hosted by the NC Justice Center’s Fair Chance Criminal Justice Project. The three-part webinar series delves into the urgent issues of mass incarceration, prison conditions, and the future of decarceration in North Carolina.

Upcoming Conversations

1. Clemency and Compassionate Release

December 11
Learn about the power of clemency and compassionate release in providing second chances. This discussion will cover the current clemency process, barriers to compassionate release, and ways advocates can work together to push for systemic changes.

2. Second Chances in the Wake of Disaster 

December 18
Join us for a special conversation on the challenges facing incarcerated people in Western North Carolina, as the region continues to recover from Hurricane Helene.

3. Looking Ahead for Decarceration in North Carolina

January 8
What does the future of decarceration look like in North Carolina? Join us as we outline the next steps in reform as we head into a new political landscape within the state and the nation.

Register for our Community Conversations

Starting December 10, Members of the community are invited to join the Decarcerate Now! NC Coalition at 298 E. Jones Street (the corner of Person Street and E. Jones Street) as we take a stand in solidarity with the approximately 30,000 mostly Black and Brown people currently incarcerated in state prisons across North Carolina. The Decarcerate Now! NC coalition will stand vigil outside the Executive Mansion from December 10 through January 1, 2025, calling for decisive actions to decarcerate North Carolina and cease the use of imprisonment as a catch-all response to societal harms. These actions are consistent with the recommendations of Governor Roy Cooper’s own Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice (TREC).

The Vigil for Freedom and Racial Justice aims to uplift the voices and experiences of those currently incarcerated, focusing on the individuals’ names, faces, families, and the impact of the carceral system on communities. The coalition continues to call for the immediate release of those who are ill, elderly, in prison for technical parole violations, those incarcerated as children, as well as the commutation of all death sentences, all of which are affected by racial bias.