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Southern Coalition for Social Justice

Southern Coalition for Social Justice

Partnering with communities of color and economically disadvantaged communities in the south to defend and advance their political, social and economic rights through the combination of legal advocacy, research, organizing and communications.

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Youth Justice Project

April 12, 2017

#RaiseTheAgeNC Virtual Advocacy Day

Earlier this week New York changed its laws to stop automatically charging all 16- and 17-year-olds as adults.  That’s great news!  But it now means that North Carolina is the only state in the country to charge all 16- and 17-year olds as adults. This must change. We have a chance to raise the age of […]

Category iconRecent News,  Youth Justice

February 21, 2017

Ban the Confederate Flag in Orange County Schools

“For many, the flag is a racially inflammatory symbol, which is undeniably rooted in slavery and racism. Given OCS’ commitment to serve all students, the district should not allow the Confederate flag on its campuses.” Orange County NAACP President Patricia Clayton Currently, Orange County Schools (NC) do not explicitly ban the Confederate flag. Images of the […]

Category iconRecent News,  Youth Justice

January 6, 2017

A New Year; Same Old Story in Wake County

“This incident is more about how little this officer, and so many officers around the country, value black bodies, black health, black safety and security.”– Shaun King, NY Daily News, Jan. 4, 2017 Earlier this week, a Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) school resource officer (SRO) welcomed a student back from winter break by picking […]

Category iconRecent News,  Youth Justice

August 29, 2016

New Youth Justice Resource: Racial Equity Report Cards

For many of the students heading back to school this week, a new school year is an exciting time, filled with new outfits, new teachers, and new schedules. Unfortunately, for many students of color, a new school year can also be fraught with worry, as they enter an environment where they are more likely than […]

Category iconRecent News,  Youth Justice

June 9, 2016

First in Flight, Last in Youth Justice

North Carolina is the only state that automatically processes every 16 and 17 year-old through its adult criminal justice system without an opportunity for the youth to appeal for a transfer to juvenile court.[1] In fact, juvenile court jurisdiction in 41 states and the District of Columbia extends to most persons under the age of 18.[2] The […]

Category iconRecent News,  Youth Justice

June 2, 2016

Amicus Brief: Silver v The Halifax County Board of Commissioners

Halifax County, NC is home to some of the lowest performing schools in the state.  One of the main reasons why they perform so poorly is rooted in the three separate school districts (two “black districts” and one “white district”) maintained within the county for roughly 7,000 total students.  This is a critical strain on […]

Category iconRecent News,  Youth Justice

May 17, 2016

Opportunity Lost: North Carolina High School Athletics Association Felony Ban

The Problem After taking a trip to Walmart, noticing a fashionable piece of clothing and making the bonehead decision to pull the security tag off and walk out of the store, a 15-year-old high school student will get charged with a Class H felony of larceny from a merchant by removing, destroying, or deactivating a […]

Category iconRecent News,  Youth Justice

May 11, 2016

Office for Civil Rights Enforcement Falls Short

“We must make sure our students’ background or identity – including their race, ethnicity, or national origin; their sex; or whether or not they have a disability – neither limits their opportunity nor dims their horizon. Instead, we must achieve equity and excellence at every level of our education system, in every school, for every […]

Category iconRecent News,  Youth Justice

April 1, 2016

House Bill 2 Makes Students Less Safe

Last week, North Carolina House Bill 2 became law and now, according to proponents of the bill, we can all breathe a little easier knowing that our children are safe to use the restroom. Well, that is, unless the child is transgender. HB 2’s reach extends far beyond its restroom provision, but the intentional targeting […]

Category iconRecent News,  Youth Justice

August 28, 2015

Zealous and Holistic Defense Advocacy Starts in Delinquency Court

Since 2008, I have worked as a capital defender in North Carolina. I work in an office that represents clients in potentially capital cases at the trial level. Frequently, guilt is not an issue, and our job as defense counsel becomes saving the life of our client facing a death sentence. Prior to my current […]

Category iconRecent News,  Youth Justice

May 4, 2015

House Bill 879 – Juvenile Code Reform

House Bill 879 (H879) proposes various reforms and technical changes to the Juvenile Code. The changes are designed to improve due process protections, prevent further entry into the delinquency system, and reduce confinement in facilities. Due Process Sections 1.1 through 1.4 of the bill address several points in delinquency procedures. Section 1.1 raises the age […]

Category iconRecent News,  Youth Justice

April 24, 2015

Better School Discipline Data in NC

There’s finally good news coming out of and bi-partisan cooperation in the North Carolina General Assembly. Earlier this month, Representatives Graig Meyer, Rick Glazier, Sam Watford, and Donny Lambeth filed House Bill (HB) 819, an act designed to dramatically improve the state’s school discipline data. Currently, North Carolina law requires the State Board of Education to report, by March 15 of each year, […]

Category iconRecent News,  Youth Justice

April 21, 2015

The Negative Impacts of SB 343

North Carolina already has a massive school-to-prison pipeline and an alarming number of youth in the adult criminal system, and both crises may soon worsen. Rep. Jerry Tillman filedSB 343 (“Student Assault on Teacher/Felony Offense”) on March 19th. The bill would automatically make it a Class I felony offense for a student who is 16 years of age or […]

Category iconRecent News,  Youth Justice

April 19, 2015

School Resource Officer Census Released

Last month, the North Carolina Department of Public Safety’s Center for Safer Schools (CFSS) released its 2015 North Carolina School Resource Officer Census. The Census defines school resource officers (SROs) as “law enforcement officers who are assigned to work within the school setting.” (p. 2). It “provides a snapshot of SROs in North Carolina schools in the 2014-15 […]

Category iconRecent News,  Youth Justice

April 9, 2015

Suspension Prevention is Everybody’s Business

Across North Carolina and the nation, what’s often referred to as “the great equalizer” turns students away. Schools suspend students for not attending school. Yes, really. Students who miss too much school are told they must miss even more school. Does anyone really believe that less education is an effective strategy to help kids who already, […]

Category iconRecent News,  Youth Justice

April 2, 2015

The School-to-Prison Pipeline in Action

At a recent talk I gave on the School-to-Prison Pipeline, a school board member in the audience strongly objected to the metaphor and said he thought it wrongly blamed school boards and school administrators for a whole host of societal problems that weren’t theirs to solve. At one level, I accept his point: schools can’t […]

Category iconRecent News,  Youth Justice

March 21, 2015

Progress on NC school suspensions, violence, but more to do | News & Observer

*Originally published in the News & Observer Incidents of school crime and violence, short- and long-term suspensions, alternative learning program placements and corporal punishment were all down last school year. The Department of Public Instruction and school districts have been quick to tout the progress. Teachers and administrators deserve praise for keeping more students in school […]

Category iconRecent News,  Youth Justice

December 9, 2014

Policing the Police

The recent horrific police killings of African-American youth in Ferguson, Cleveland, and many other places across the country are a depressing reminder of the urgent need to rethink the ways in which law enforcement officers have come to be present in the vast majority of public middle and high schools in North Carolina. Of course, not all officers assigned […]

Category iconRecent News,  Youth Justice

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Yesterday

"This is lifting the people who were on the battlefield for a long time, starting in the 1950s ...Those of us who are still living, particularly the young, need to take up the challenge and go forward because there is still so much to be done." abcn.ws/3aJBuPd via @ABC

Yesterday

The @LWVKY's recently released report, An Update: Felony Disenfranchisement in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, shows that despite real progress, many remain #disenfranchised. Read more via @ABC36News: bit.ly/37BtxtB

About 2 days ago

“The students are not only aware of the harmful nature of the school-to-prison pipeline, but they have also educated themselves on proven solutions, highlighted in their policy platform,” Marcus Pollard, JSR Counsel at SCSJ, said in the statement. Read more 👇🏾 twitter.com/indyweek…

About 2 days ago

“Although the Census Bureau’s new timeline for releasing redistricting data will pose challenges, states should now begin taking steps to ensure they conduct a transparent and fair redistricting process." #Redistricting #Census Read more via @NBCNews: nbcnews.to/3bx0Ajw

About 3 days ago

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