NC Parole Justice Campaign

Our campaign aims to eliminate the prison population still incarcerated under the deeply flawed 1981 Fair Sentencing Act (42 years ago to date) and Pre-Fair Sentencing Act. In 1994, lawmakers passed the Structured Sentencing Act, to replace the failing Fair Sentencing Act and ended parole as we knew it. However, the new law did not alter the parole commission's discretion for still-incarcerated individuals found guilty before its enactment. A fundamental shift in the parole process and parole commissions mechanism for reviewing currently incarcerated people’s sentences is direly needed. Our campaign entails parole advocating education and advancing direct policy changes listed below:

  • Require the Parole Commission to provide advance notice of a parole-eligible person’s parole hearing ( notice 6 weeks in advance)

  • Require the Parole Commission to allow a parole-eligible person the opportunity to present evidence and witnesses bearing on the individual’s maturity and rehabilitation.

  • Require the entity (Parole Commission, Prisons, or MAAP Director) that made the denial recommendation to provide specific reasons for the denial of parole.

  • Require the Parole Commission to provide any recommendations for specific avenues by which the parole-eligible incarcerated person may remedy the reasons given for the denial of parole and improve their future chances.

  • Require case managers to develop proposed MAAP (Terms of Agreement) activities with incarcerated individuals no less than 15 days from approval of MAAP.

  • Require an average MAAP agreement to take 65 days from referral to completion.

  • Add at least one additional appointed Parole Commissioner 

  • Add more staff – parole analysts and administrative (need more)

  • Add at least one additional parole psychologist.

  • Work with the Parole Commission/high-level government officials to enact statewide policy changes to encompass these objectives.