North Carolina’s Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice
In June 2020, North Carolina’s Democratic Senate candidate Roy Cooper signed an executive order to establish the Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice. He appointed then-Attorney General Josh Stein and state Supreme Court Justice Anita Earls as co-chairs.
A 166-page report from the task force features 125 recommendations aimed at reshaping public safety.
The authors of the report stated in a letter to Cooper that North Carolina has an opportunity to rethink public safety, indicating that while their recommendations could lead to significant changes, the report is just one piece of a larger conversation about achieving racial equity in the criminal justice system.
“There’s often a call for ‘tough on crime’ policies to protect Black communities, as most crime victims are Black. While this reflects a historical reality, the involvement of Black Americans in the justice system is complex,” the report’s executive summary explains.
The task force aimed to tackle racial equity in the justice system, emphasizing that it can’t be viewed in isolation from broader societal issues of racial equity.
Recommended measures focus on law enforcement and the judiciary.
A segment titled “Recommendations on Racial Equity and Law Enforcement” highlights the aspiration to rethink public safety and reinvest in community resources.
One key recommendation is to increase the number of social workers while reducing the presence of police officers. “Emergency responses should prioritize addressing the needs of service calls rather than relying solely on law enforcement,” the report notes, suggesting models like CAHOOTS in Eugene and STARS in Denver as alternatives that utilize non-police personnel for specific calls.
Furthermore, it suggests promoting diversion tactics and considering the long-term implications of a criminal record, encouraging summonses and citations over arrests.
The report also addresses the role of school resource officers (SROs), stating that communities should define their roles clearly to reduce harsh disciplinary actions against Black and Brown students. It highlights that during the 2018-2019 school year, 48% of school-related delinquency charges were against Black students, despite them making up only 25% of public school enrollment in the state.
Another recommendation urges law enforcement to foster an environment for peaceful protests, pointing out that harsh responses can undermine the trust between police and communities.
This particular recommendation can be viewed as contentious, particularly since Cooper’s family had to be evacuated from the governor’s mansion during the George Floyd protests in May 2020, which caused significant damage in the capital.
In contrast, the North Carolina General Assembly chose a different path by reinforcing penalties for rioting, especially after Cooper vetoed an earlier bill in 2021.
The report notes that biases within the criminal justice system are disproportionately damaging to Black individuals and people of color, especially those facing accusations or those victimized by crimes.
Among its first recommendations for the justice system is implementing restorative justice initiatives, which emphasize forgiveness for offenders and a path that avoids traditional punitive repercussions.
Several recommended changes relate directly to law amendments, focusing on easing penalties for serious offenses.
This includes expanding prosecutorial discretion, decriminalizing marijuana possession, limiting criminal legislation, reducing misdemeanor charges, and abolishing cash bail.
Cooper’s significant impact on the justice system included the end of cash bail policies, which contributed to a cycle of arrests that led to tragic incidents, such as the murder of Irina Zalutka on Charlotte’s light rail. Her alleged murderer had been repeatedly released from custody after numerous arrests.
In response to this, the North Carolina General Assembly enacted Irina’s Law in 2025 to combat cashless bail practices in local courts, which were influenced by Cooper’s earlier proposals.
Since the initial report in 2020, state leaders have maintained a color-coded tracker reflecting the status of implemented recommendations. However, updates to this tracker ceased after Cooper left office at the end of 2024.
