JUSTICE SYSTEM REFORM
America's Incarceration Crisis
America’s incarceration crisis is the ultimate example of the politics and underlying culture of dehumanization we must end together.
Featured Cases
State v. James Richardson
James Richardson is an innocent man serving a life sentence for a crime he did not commit. In 2011, James Richardson was arrested and capitally charged with the murders of Landon Blackley and Andrew Kirby in Pitt County, NC. Following a hotly contested trial, James was convicted and given two life sentences.
Learn MoreKaron Joye
SCSJ is submitting a clemency petition to the Juvenile Sentencing Review Board (JSRB) on behalf of Karon Joye. Karon was sentenced to over 34 years in prison for a crime he committed when he was 14 years old.
Learn MoreAbrams v. Fowler
SCSJ is challenging North Carolina’s parole system in federal court on behalf of Brett Abrams, who was sentenced to life in prison in 1983 at the age of 14 for a senseless and tragic crime.
Learn MoreWhat's at Stake?
Our government is not merely failing to eliminate systemic racism and reduce vulnerability but instead exacerbating both with the carceral state. The United States locks up more people than any other country on Earth. We criminalize poverty, needlessly separate children from their parents, and destabilize and destroy families, even entire neighborhoods, in the process.
SCSJ seeks to reduce the number of people entering and remaining in the criminal legal system. We focus on front-end issues, like policing, over-criminalization, and the prosecutorial function. We also focus on back-end issues, like safely bringing people home from jails and prisons and ending excessively harsh policies fueling mass incarceration.
Ending Mass Incarceration Resources
The Case for Commuting NC’s Death Row
This booklet outlines how NC's death row is infected with racism and threatens the lives of innocent vulnerable groups.
North Carolina’s Death Row Infographic
This infographic explains the myriad ways in which NC’s death penalty is a failed public policy that is riddled with error and inequity.
Safe Return: North Carolina’s Experience with Bringing People Home Early from Prison
This report analyzed "early" reentry efforts and their outcomes to determine whether early reentry and prosecutorial “second look” approaches can and should be continued or expanded.
Ending Mass Incarceration News
Federal Court Denies Judgment in Lawsuit Over Parole Commission, For Now; Orders Further Inquiry
RALEIGH, N.C. (April 2, 2025) — A federal judge has denied issuing a judgment before trial in a lawsuit challenging the North Carolina Parole Commission’s review process for people who were children when they were sentenced to prison and ordered additional fact finding by the parties involved. Southern Coalition for Social Justice asked for summary…
Read More Federal Court Denies Judgment in Lawsuit Over Parole Commission, For Now; Orders Further Inquiry
Gov. Cooper Grants Historic Death Row Commutations
DURHAM, N.C. (Dec. 31, 2024) – Today, Gov. Roy Cooper made history by commuting 15 death sentences to life without parole – including a Southern Coalition for Social Justice (SCSJ) client – marking a significant shift away from the death penalty in North Carolina. His decision comes after increasingly pressing calls for him to use…
Read More Gov. Cooper Grants Historic Death Row Commutations