During the 2011 session of the General Assembly, Democrats, Republicans, Governor Bev Perdue
and criminal justice and law enforcement professionals from across the state supported House Bill 642,
Justice Reinvestment Act. The bill’s primary goals are to reduce the state’s annual spending on corrections
and reinvest available funds in strategies to increase public safety.
The Justice Reinvestment Act was sponsored by Representative David Guice, Transylvania County,
Representative John Faircloth, Guilford County, Representative Alice Bordsen, Alamance County and
Representative Earline Parmon, Forsyth County. As a former Chief Probation/Parole Officer, Representative Guice
is keenly aware of the needs of the state’s criminal justice system and effective strategies to increase public safety.
In addition to implementing new offender post-release and probation supervision strategies, the Justice Reinvestment Act
created new sentencing guidelines for repeat breaking-and-entering offenders and first-time felony drug possession offenders.
The North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association (NCSA) agreed to provide a critical role in a new program designed to
reduce costs and use existing jail beds to house certain misdemeanants.
The Statewide Misdemeanant Confinement Program (SMCP) will enable people convicted of a misdemeanor crime
and sentenced to 91 to 180 days to serve their sentence in a local jail.
Under the current law, people convicted for a misdemeanor crime and sentenced to 91 to 180 days serve their sentence
in a Department of Correction prison. Effective January 1, 2012, the new program will use available beds
in county jails across the state to house misdemeanants sentenced for 91 to 180 days and
reduce the cost to taxpayers to fund and operate state prisons.
Instead of having unused beds in the county jail, sheriffs’ offices will now be able to accept inmates
from the SMCP and be reimbursed for costs to house inmates in the program.
