About the Task Force

Established by Governor Roy Cooper in June 2020, Attorney General Josh Stein and NC Supreme Court Associate Justice Anita Earls are leading the Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice (TREC), which consists of twenty-four members from a wide range of backgrounds.

The Task Force’s work will focus on addressing existing policies and procedures that disproportionately affect communities of color and developing solutions to ensure racial equity in North Carolina’s criminal justice system.

The Task Force submitted its recommendations on December 14, 2020. Read the final report here, the executive summary here, and the recommendations chart here.

For more information, please click here.

Policy Recommendations

• The Task Force recommends that all North Carolina law enforcement agencies enact a policy articulating a duty to intervene and report in any case where a law enforcement officer may be a witness to what they know to be an excessive use of force or other abuse of a suspect or arrestee.
• The Task Force recommends that all North Carolina law enforcement agencies enact a Use of Force policy that, at a minimum, prohibits neck holds. Law enforcement agencies should consider using the sample policy language below.
  
  • Sample Policy Language “NECK HOLDS PROHIBITED. Law enforcement officers shall not use chokeholds, strangleholds, Lateral Vascular Neck Restraints, Carotid Restraints, chest compressions, or any other tactics that restrict oxygen or blood flow to the head or neck unless necessary to protect the life of the officer.”
• The Task Force recommends that the North Carolina Supreme Court enact a General Rule of Practice, which would require an assessment of a defendant’s ability to pay prior to the levying of any fines and fees.
• The Task Force recommends that the Administrative Office of the Courts include information on race in its data reporting.
• The Task Force recommends that the Administrative Office of the Courts require racial equity training for court system personnel.

Feedback Welcomed

Guided by your feedback, the Task Force will develop and help implement solutions to eliminate disparate outcomes in the criminal justice system for communities of color. Use this form to provide feedback for the Task Force.

Information provided on the form is NOT confidential and may be disclosed under North Carolina public records law. To view feedback that has been submitted, click here for pdf.

TREC Public Feedback Form