RALEIGH: On Monday, Gov. Cooper issued Executive Order No. 303 directing whole-of-government coordination to improve reentry for formerly incarcerated people in the most significant effort targeted at strengthening reentry in state history.

The Order aims to improve rehabilitation and reentry services for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people in North Carolina through specific directives developed in partnership with each cabinet agency, the Office of State Human Resources and the Post-Release Supervision and Parole Commission. This Executive Order builds on the existing mission of the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction (DAC) while unifying state agencies under the shared goal of improving reentry services.

Read more about the Executive Order below.

AP: North Carolina joins an effort to improve outcomes for freed prisoners

Gary D. Robertson, January 29, 2024

North Carolina has joined a nascent nationwide effort to improve outcomes for more prisoners who return to society through an approach focused on education, health care and housing.

Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, signed an executive order Monday that seeks to reduce recidivism through formal training and workforce tools for incarcerated people so more can succeed once they are freed.

More than 18,000 people are released annually from the dozens of North Carolina adult correctional facilities, the order says, facing obstacles to a fresh start from their criminal record.

“Every person deserves the opportunity to live a life of joy, success and love even when we make mistakes,” Cooper said at an Executive Mansion ceremony. “Every single one of us can be redeemed.”

The order aligns with the goals of Reentry 2030, which is being developed by the Council of State Governments and other groups to promote successful offender integration. The council said that North Carolina is the third state to officially join Reentry 2030, after Missouri and Alabama.

Read the full article here.

WGHP: North Carolina advocates overjoyed with statewide reentry program measures

Claire Curry, January 31, 2024

North Carolina is taking the steps needed to give those getting out of correctional facilities another chance at life.

Governor Roy Cooper signed Executive Order 303to strengthen rehabilitation and reentry services across the state. It was emotional news for the organizers of the Jacksonville Onslow Welcome Home Council, as well as for the people they’ve helped so far.

“I sat there and cried. It brought such joy to me to know that the struggles of many now can be helped,” said Executive Director of You Empower You Foundation, Michael Noreski.

Read the full article here.

N&O: Gov. Cooper launches new NC initiative to increase successful reentry after prison

Avi Bajpai, January 29, 2024

Gov. Roy Cooper announced a new initiative Monday to help more formerly incarcerated people successfully transition to stable lives outside of prison.

As part of that effort, Cooper signed an executive order directing agencies under his control to coordinate on improving what is known as prison reentry. Each agency has been given specific directives that include identifying more “second chance” employers, increasing access to career services, increasing work release, apprenticeship and employment opportunities, and improving the parole process.

“Our communities are much safer, and much stronger, when we come together to help everybody succeed,” Cooper said at a news conference at the Executive Mansion.

Read the full article here.

WRAL: 'Make sure everybody succeeds': Cooper signs prison reentry order alongside NFL hall of famer

Will Doran, January 29, 2024

People leaving North Carolina prisons will find more support at the state and local levels, following a new executive order issued Monday by Gov. Roy Cooper.

Cooper, a Democrat, noted the support among Republicans and Democrats alike for criminal justice reform in the past few years, at the state legislature as well as in Washington, D.C. — where one of former Republican President Donald Trump’s bipartisan accomplishments was the 2018 First Step Act, which also re-authorized another criminal justice reform law called the Second Chance Act.

Those two laws made thousands of nonviolent drug offenders eligible for early release from prisons across the country and authorized $100 million in spending on reentry programs. Some of that money is now being used for the programs Cooper approved Monday. The governor said the new effort focuses on helping people find work, or get job and career training, soon after their release and re-entry back into mainstream society. It also commits North Carolina to meeting a series of goals on making sure people are more educated, and less likely to be homeless, when they leave prison.

“Our communities are much safer and much stronger when we come together to make sure everybody succeeds,” Cooper said. “We want to make sure that people have real opportunities when they leave prison, so they won't go back to the same things that got them sent there."

Read the full article here.