Our Story
The North Carolina Coalition for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (NCCADP) is a non-partisan network of litigators, lobbyists, advocates, scholars, and faith leaders dedicated to criminal justice reform, victims’ rights and restorative justice. Our members work independently on issues of justice and civil rights–but we have come together to fight for an end to capital punishment in our state. While we each approach the death penalty from a different perspective, we all agree that capital punishment is inherently flawed and will always be subject to human error and the biases of the times. We cannot accept a system that executes its citizens despite documented mistakes, fraud, and unfairness.
The Coalition was formed by a group of North Carolinians who shared the belief that the death penalty is unfair and immoral. It grew more outspoken in the 1990s and early 2000s, in response to the exonerations of several people on death row. Today, we believe that North Carolina should replace the death penalty with alternatives that are more humane, victim-centered, equitable, and cost-effective, saving much-needed resources that can be better used to promote stronger communities and greater public safety.
As a state and a nation, we are reconsidering what is necessary to make our criminal legal systems just. The Coalition believes that so long as death is on the table, our concepts of consequences will remain distorted and our efforts at meaningful, humane reform will fall short.
