Today, Governor Stein signed HB 307 into law. While this marks the latest chapter in North Carolina’s debate over the death penalty, it does not move our state closer to real safety. HB 307 cannot prevent violence or meet the urgent needs of our communities. Instead of investing in proven solutions, it revives a failed policy that cannot deliver justice or security for North Carolinians.
We know what works to build safe communities. When we prioritize mental health care, re-entry services that help people return home after incarceration, violence prevention and intervention programs, and comprehensive support for survivors and their families, we reduce harm before it occurs and effectively respond to violence. HB 307 ignores this blueprint for public safety.
Still, there is hope in how North Carolinians came together to oppose this bill. We are grateful to the courageous lawmakers in the General Assembly who stood against it, and to the thousands of people who raised their voices to demand a better path forward. This movement embodies the future of public safety in North Carolina in its pursuit of justice, humanity, and accountability, and the momentum will only continue to grow.
NCCADP will not stop working toward a North Carolina that is safe for everyone. We will continue to push for policies that respond meaningfully to violence, hold people accountable while enabling healing, and strengthen communities. We will succeed in building a North Carolina for all, where executions are a distant history.
