Company for the governor: Criminal justice reform advocates launch vigil to urge use of clemency powers
BY KELAN LYONS | DECEMBER 1, 2022 6:00 AM
For the third year in a row, Decarcerate Now NC will host a vigil outside the governor’s mansion urging Gov. Roy Cooper to use his clemency power to reduce the number of people in North Carolina prisons and pardon people who have since gone home so they have a chance to move on with their lives after serving their time behind bars.
Organizers will maintain a constant presence outside the mansion for the next month, calling for justice, fairness and second chances for those locked in prisons across the state, especially those who are Black and other people of color. Over the course of December, advocates will complete more than 3,000 laps around the mansion, one lap for every 10 people in state prisons.
There were 30,287 people in North Carolina prisons as of Oct. 31, more than half of whom were Black.
Advocates — which include the North Carolina Justice Center (of which Policy Watch is a project — sent a letter to the governor on Nov. 30 explaining why they’ll be outside his mansion for the next 30 days.
