Turning convicts away from crime, toward work
North Carolina lacks a good plan for how to keep ex-convicts out of prison. Attorney General Roy Cooper is joining
Corrections Secretary Alvin Keller to lead the StreetSafe task force to find solutions.
Keep ex-prisoners from becoming repeat offenders
When prisoners’ time is served, they return to communities without the basics they need to find jobs and stay out of trouble. More than a third will go back to prison in three years.
With more than 40,000 people in North Carolina prisons and another 113,000 on probation the number of potential repeat offenders is great.
Motivation, discipline and training can help ex-offenders stay away from crime, Cooper believes. Less crime means fewer victims and stronger communities.
How the StreetSafe task force will help
StreetSafe is bringing together people from law enforcement, the courthouse, government, business, education, and civic and faith-based volunteer groups. Cooper urged Gov. Bev Perdue to form the task force, which was created by
executive order May 1, 2009.
The task force will identify barriers facing those with criminal histories and find a solution. After that, the group will oversee implementation with a goal of reducing the number of repeat criminal offenders and giving ex-offenders the right training and discipline skills to stay away from crime and work toward employment and self-sufficiency.
Watch StreetSafe meetings
First meeting: October 8, 2009
Second meeting: December 7, 2009
Third meeting: February 25, 2010
Watch the
OPEN/net discussion of StreetSafe, March 16, 2010
Next StreetSafe meeting
The next meeting of the StreetSafe Task Force is scheduled for September 16 at the McKimmon Center in Raleigh.