Carolina Justice Policy Center records, 1936, 1948, 1952-2017, bulk 1970-2017

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Summary

Creator:
McGregor, Alan, 1951-, Rubert, Lao, 1951-, Carolina Justice Policy Center (Organization), Human Rights Archive (Duke University), and Prison and Jail Project (Organization)
Abstract:
The Carolina Justice Policy Center (CJPC) was a nonprofit organization founded in 1975 under the name Prison and Jail Project in Durham, North Carolina, whose primary mission was criminal justice reform in North Carolina. The collection comprises CJPC's office files and records documenting its staff and activities over the span of four decades, as well as the work of other local, regional, and national organizations. The records include correspondence, including exchanges with inmates and attorneys; meeting agendas and minutes; operational files; court records and case files; research files; books, articles, reports, and clippings; some photographs; a few born-digital items; and analog audio recordings, films, and videos. Includes a group of materials on Velma Barfield, executed in 1984. Topics include criminal justice and sentencing reform; the death penalty; prison conditions and construction; juveniles and women in the court and prison systems; prison-related statistics; alternatives to incarceration; racial justice; violence prevention; and rehabilitative programs. Acquired as part of the Human Rights Archive at Duke University.
Extent:
140 Linear Feet (277 boxes; 1 oversize folder)
37.24 Megabytes (1 DVD, 1 audio track)
Language:
English
Collection ID:
RL.12043

Background

Scope and content:

Collection consists of records documenting the work of the Carolina Justice Policy Center (CJPC), a nonprofit agency in Durham, N.C., focused on the death penalty and criminal justice reform, including materials created from 1975 to 1992 while it was known as the Prison and Jail Project (PJP). The majority of the records are resource and case files assembled by PJP and CJPC staff over four decades, from the 1970s to 2017; contents include correspondence with activists, attorneys, inmates, and other organizations; handwritten notes; meeting minutes; advocacy and outreach materials; conference files; fact sheets and statistical charts; ephemera from organizations and protest movements such as handouts and fliers; and many North Carolina legislative and court records.

In addition to the print materials such as serial issues and clippings found throughout the files, there is also a substantial resource file series of published articles, reports, manuals, and books. There are also analog video and sound recordings, a few born-digital recordings, and some photographs. There are several pieces of inmate art on textiles in the incarcerated persons subseries.

The majority of the CJPC records concern the death penalty, particularly its status in North Carolina, and efforts at the local, regional, and national level to abolish capital punishment. There are many case files pertaining to inmates on death row, including several boxes of materials on Velma Barfield, executed in 1984, the only woman executed in N.C. since 1944. Many of the records also speak to race and gender discrimination in the courts and in prisons, and document CJPC's work in support of the N.C. Racial Justice Act. Other materials document CJPC's work on prohibiting the death penalty for juveniles and people with mental disabilities.

Related CJPC projects documented in the collection include the Durham Community Penalties Program and its mission to provide alternative, community-based penalties for incarcerated people, and Triangle Residential Options for Substance Abusers (TROSA). Other CJPC-based projects include acquiring funding for improving prison conditions, organizing violence prevention forums, increasing accountability for forensic science departments, and advocating for victims of domestic violence.

Note: Materials in this collection may use outdated and/or offensive terms such as "mentally retarded" to refer to people with mental disabilities.

Biographical / historical:

The Carolina Justice Policy Center was part of a coalition of groups in NC and elsewhere whose work focused on the death penalty, mass incarceration, and other issues related to prisoners' rights and criminal justice reform.

In 1975, Alan McGregor co-founded the Prison and Jail Project, which focused on sentencing reform through legislation, improving prison conditions, and gathering information on the death penalty. In the early 1980s, the Prison and Jail Project began to expand its mission under the direction of Lao Rubert to include alternative penalties, violence prevention, and rehabilitative programs, and in 1992 the organization changed its name to the Carolina Justice Policy Center (CJPC), with the Prison and Jail Project continuing as a program under the agency of CJPC.

In 2019, CJPC transitioned to a broader mission that engages with structural racism and civil rights, renaming itself Emancipate NC.

Acquisition information:
The Carolina Justice Policy Center records were acquired as a gift from the Carolina Justice Policy Center by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library at Duke University in 2017 and 2023.
Processing information:

Processed and described by Laura Daly, Lou Bennett, Zoe Finiasz, and Paula Jeannet, September-June 2023.

Accessions represented in this collection guide: 2017-0047, 2023-0025.

Arrangement:

Arranged in the following series: Administrative Files, Death Penalty, Legislative Files, Printed Materials, Projects and Partnerships, and Subject Files.

Physical facet:
2 files (1 .mp4, 1 .mp3)
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Subjects

Click on terms below to find related finding aids on this site. For other related materials in the Duke University Libraries, search for these terms in the Catalog.

Subjects:
African Americans -- Legal status, laws, etc -- North Carolina -- 20th century
Capital punishment -- North Carolina -- 20th century
Capital punishment -- North Carolina -- Cases
Capital punishment -- North Carolina -- Statistics
Capital punishment -- Southern States -- 20th century
Criminal courts -- North Carolina -- 20th century
Family Violence -- United States -- Prevention
Female offenders -- North Carolina -- Cases
Justice, Administration of -- North Carolina -- 20th century
Juvenile justice, Administration of -- North Carolina
Mental health -- North Carolina -- 20th century
Murder -- Law and legislation -- North Carolina -- 20th century
Prisoners -- Legal status, laws, etc. -- North Carolina -- 20th century
Prisoners -- Mental health services -- North Carolina
Prisoners -- Substance use
Prisoners -- United States -- Correspondence
Prisoners -- United States -- Statistics
Prisons -- Law and legislation -- North Carolina
Prisons -- Overcrowding -- Law and legislation -- North Carolina
Race discrimination -- Law and legislation -- North Carolina
Sentences (Criminal procedure) -- North Carolina
Substance abuse -- Treatment
Women -- Legal status, laws, etc. -- North Carolina
Violence -- North Carolina -- 20th century
Format:
Audio recordings
Documentary films
Electronic records
Photographs
Textile art (visual works)
Video recordings
Names:
Carolina Justice Policy Center (Organization)
Human Rights Archive (Duke University)
North Carolina. General Assembly
North Carolina. Department of Correction
North Carolina. Judicial Department -- Law and legislation
North Carolina. North Carolina Racial Justice Act
Prison and Jail Project (Organization)
McGregor, Alan, 1951-
Rubert, Lao, 1951-
Barfield, Velma, 1932-1984
Places:
North Carolina -- Politics and government -- 20th century
North Carolina -- Race relations -- 20th century

Contents

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Restrictions:

Access note. Collection contains some fragile audiovisual/photographic formats that may need to be reformatted before use. Contact Research Services for access.

Access note. Collection contains some electronic materials that require special equipment. Contact Research Services with questions.

Access restricted. Collection contains correspondence to and from incarcerated persons who are still living. These files have been segregated and are closed until 2060 or the death of the individual. Materials by and about deceased inmates are open to research access. Contact Research Services for more information.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

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Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Carolina Justice Policy Center records, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University