criminal justice reform

It’s not just cruise ships. The danger of a catastrophic COVID-19 outbreak is acute at any institution where large numbers of people live or work in close proximity, and that…

One of the many things I like about living in North Carolina is the extent to which North Carolinians live up to the state motto: “Esse Quam Videri” (“To Be…

North Carolina’s criminal code is a complex beast. As we’ve mentioned time and time again, crimes are tucked all over the place. There’s a crime in more than 140…

Session Law 2019-198: Criminal Law Reform became law this month.  It marks an important step forward for criminal law reform. But the bill that was signed into law looks…

When it comes to public policy, extreme, ideologically-driven posturing has become the norm in many parts of the country. Here in North Carolina, however, people tend to take a more…

A 79-year-old Ohio widow, Nancy Segula, made national news last week when a judge sentenced her to serve 10 days in jail for feeding her neighbor’s abandoned cats. Although…

An occupational license is a special kind of government regulation known as an entry regulation. The state forbids a would-be worker from entering his chosen field of work until he…

North Carolina’s criminal code is a muddled, archaic monstrosity. The laws that govern criminal behavior are often unclear, encouraging senseless litigation and allowing bad actors to slip through the cracks.

In 44 states and the District of Columbia, the age at which young offenders age out of the juvenile justice system is now 18. In five states, it is…

For centuries, it was a universally accepted principle of Anglo-American law that a criminal conviction requires proof, not only of a wrongful act—which lawyers call the “actus reus”—but also…