Gov. Cooper says ‘systemic racism still exists’ and is a criminal justice priority

A state task force is making criminal justice more equitable but must continue its work to fight racism built into the system, Gov. Roy Cooper said this week.

Speaking to the N.C. Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice, Cooper said the group’s 125 recommendations have made “significant progress not only in the legislature and in the courts and in executive offices, but on the ground in our community.”

He mentioned:

• The group’s recommendation that created a Juvenile Sentence Review Board in 2021.
• Support for legislation that raised the age of juvenile jurisdiction so that 6- to 9-year-olds are no longer tried as juveniles.
• Support that led law enforcement to push for Medicaid expansion in the legislature for people who “need health care and not handcuffs.”
• Broad efforts for crisis intervention and de-escalation training across law enforcement agencies.

“I think this task force has opened a lot of eyes and a lot of hearts, for that matter,” Cooper told the group Wednesday. “We know that statistics are stark to show that systemic racism still exists, and whether that is conscious or unconscious. it exists in our criminal justice system and throughout our society.”

The task force’s work will help people re-enter society after serving time for crimes and reduce their chances of recidivism, he said.

“Our communities are going to be safer because of it, because you aren’t going to have people going back to do the same thing they did to start with. You are giving them a better chance,” he said.

Cooper formed the task force in 2020 after nationwide protests over the killings by law enforcement officers of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

In 2022, he extended its work into 2024 to focus on violence prevention and restorative justice. Its 27 members include lawmakers, judges, law enforcement leaders and criminal justice reform activists.

Task force releases 2023 report

The Task Force’s 2023 report, available on the N.C. Department of Justice’s website, lists these achievements:

• The creation of the Office of Violence Prevention in March within the Department of Public Safety.
• Successful launches of re-entry simulations in Durham and Chatham counties that help people see how hard it is to rejoin society after incarceration.
• Recommendation to form a statewide Victim Offender Dialogue program to facilitate conversations between perpetrators and victims of a crime to address the harm caused.
• Quarterly meetings with “thoughtful bipartisan dialogue” on racial equity issues that led to recommendations being made.

Memphis police chief speaks

Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis, Durham’s police chief for five years, spoke to the task force about “police culture.”

Davis drew nationwide controversy after officers in a special unit she helped create fatally beat 29-year-old Tyre Nichols in January of last year. Video of the beating ignited protests, and the officers were charged with murder.

Davis was praised for firing the officers but has faced widespread calls to resign. A newly elected mayor in Memphis appointed her as the interim police chief this year.

Davis did not address that issue at the meeting. She spoke of struggling to combat crime in Memphis, which saw a city-record 398 homicides in 2023.

“I read something recently: it was called the 30-30-40 approach and [it says] there’s 30%, you know, enforcement and 30% intervention and 40% prevention,” Davis said.

“We all know we can’t arrest crime away, but we don’t want build a culture in our police departments where the only thing we’re going to do is run and gun,” she said.

This story was originally published January 26, 2024 at 11:28 AM.