Together we can.
Giving back through life-changing experiences.
Giving back through life-changing experiences.
Portia Bright-Pittman is a former justice involved individual who has turned her mistakes into keys to success that will help others transitioning out of incarceration find success at being productive citizens contributing to the betterment of the community.
Being led by Christ out of incarceration, Portia became a graduate of Pitt Commu
Portia Bright-Pittman is a former justice involved individual who has turned her mistakes into keys to success that will help others transitioning out of incarceration find success at being productive citizens contributing to the betterment of the community.
Being led by Christ out of incarceration, Portia became a graduate of Pitt Community College Human Services and Substance Abuse Counseling Associates Program and Cornell University Bank of America Institute Women's Entrepreneur Program. She served as legislative assistant for legislators in the North Carolina Senate and House of Representatives.
Since 2017, she has been a working member of the NC Reentry Council Collaborative established by Governor Roy Cooper, a 2020 graduate of the Formerly Incarcerated, Convicted Peoples and Families Movement Fellowship, Community Organizer with NC Second Chance Alliance and a published award winning children's author.
She expresses her passion for criminal justice reform by helping those involved in the system understand how government works and how to become better citizens after incarceration. Portia leads programs for schools, criminal justice reform, faith communities, and civic groups.
Seeing a need for energetic nonprofit work in this area, we formed our organization to provide sensible solutions.
- Creating a cohesive continuum of services:
mental health
peer support
financial literacy
spiritual life coaching
transitional success coaching
-Helping offenders enroll into certification programs and work opportunities
-Access to transition housing opportunities
NC Reentry Innovator for Success Inc. is a nonprofit striving to help remove the barriers that threaten to derail the success of people returning to their communities after serving time in prison.
We focus on making the maximum positive effort for our community. Our members and volunteers provide the momentum that helps us affect change within the women and men we serve.
NC Reentry Innovator for Success Inc. is a nonprofit raising funds to purchase a transition home and provide immediate need services for those transitioning out of jail or prison. All donations are tax exempt.
1 in 4 North Carolinians have criminal records, creating devastating “collateral consequences” that impact housing, employment, and other opportunities.
The Second Chance Act is a bipartisan “clean slate” bill that will expand eligibility for expunging nonviolent criminal convictions after a waiting period, and automates expungement of certain dismissed or “not guilty” charges. This bill allows prosecutors to petition for expungement for dismissed or “not guilty” charges and Raise the Age convictions, and allows individuals to petition for expungement of multiple nonviolent misdemeanor convictions after 7 years of good behavior.
HOW THE SECOND CHANCE ACT/SB 562 PROVIDES CLEAN SLATE RELIEF:
RAISE THE AGE EXPUNCTIONS.
Any Misdemeanor or Class H or I Felony committed before Dec. 1, 2019 by a person between the ages of 16-18 (at the time of the offense) can file a petition for expunction after an active sentence, probation and post release have been completed and there are no restitution orders outstanding. District Attorneys can now file these expungement petitions, which provide an opportunity for mass relief efforts.
You cannot file for expunction if:
A. The violation was for motor vehicle laws under Ch. 20 including impaired driving
B. The violation requires registration pursuant to Article 27A of Ch. 14
The forms to file an expungement under these criteria will be made and distributed by Sept. 1, 2020. There is a $175 filing fee through the court for this expungement.
EXPUNCTION FOR CHARGES NOT RESULTING IN CONVICTION.
Felony Conviction no longer blocks these expungements
One Dismissal: If a person has a dismissal of a misdemeanor or felony, the court shall order expunction. Effective: Dec. 1, 2020. Petition based: Must file with court
Multiple Dismissals: If all charges are dismissed the court will order an expungement and if some of the charges are dismissed the court may order expungement. Effective: Dec. 1, 2020. Petition based: Must file with court
Finding of Not Guilty: A person charged with a misdemeanor or felony and a finding of not guilty or not responsible is entered, the court will file for expunction. Effective: Dec. 1, 2020. Petition based: Must file with court. Can be one or multiple offenses
After Dec. 1, 2021: A person charged with a crime on or after Dec. 1, 2021 and charges are dismissed, found not guilty, or not responsible will be expunged
Automated Relief: If all charges are dismissed in the case these offenses will be automatically expunged
Plea Agreement: These are not automated but you can petition for expungement of charges that are dismissed through a plea agreement
MODIFICATION OF EXPUNCTION OF NONVIOLENT MISDEMEANOR AND FELONY CONVICTIONS
If a person is granted an expunction under this section, they are not eligible for any other expunction under this section for offenses committed after the date of the previous expunction. Effective: Dec. 1, 2020 and applies to petitions filed on or after that date.
You can file for expunction of one nonviolent misdemeanor:
5 years after the date of conviction, or active sentence, probation or post release has been served; whichever occurs later. You must have no other felony or misdemeanor convictions other than traffic; and no outstanding restitution or civil judgements.
You can file for expunction of more than one nonviolent misdemeanor:
7 years after the last date of conviction, or active sentence, probation or post release has been served; whichever occurs later, and have no other convictions that are excluded from expunction eligibility, felony or misdemeanor. You cannot have any other conviction during the 7-year waiting period, and must have no outstanding restitution or civil judgements
You can file for expunction of one nonviolent felony conviction:
10 years after the date of conviction, or active sentence, probation or post release has been served; whichever occurs later. You cannot have any other convictions during the 10-year waiting period and must have no outstanding restitution or civil judgements. No other convictions that are excluded from expunction eligibility
On May 8, 2019, SB 562 The Second Chance Act passed in the Senate, 44-0.
On June 10, 2020, SB 562 The Second Chance Act passed in the House, 119-0.
Note: The definitions of “nonviolent misdemeanor” and “nonviolent felony” are not changed by this bill. Expunged criminal records are not available to the public, but expunged dismissals and convictions can still be accessed by district attorneys and considered by courts for sentencing if the person re-offends.
Source of content: NC Second Chance Alliance
There is no single law covering all expunctions in North Carolina; instead, several statutes covering various types of criminal records. Contrary to common belief, opportunities to expunge a criminal record in North Carolina are actually quite limited in regards to criminal convictions. Expunction opportunities in North Carolina are generally limited to the following three categories:
“Nonviolent Offense” is a term of art that is defined in N.C.G.S. § 15A-145.5(a) (PDF BELOW). It includes any felony or misdemeanor except those listed in the statute. Examples of offenses excluded from the definition are class A-G felonies, A1 misdemeanors, offenses involving assault as an essential element, or those requiring sex offender registration. See the statute for the full list offenses.
The key factors to determine eligibility for expungement of a criminal record are:
There have been significant reforms to the expunction process and expunction eligibility as a result of changes signed into law by Governor Cooper on July 28, 2017. The following are some of the key differences for expunction petitions filed after December 1, 2017:
Source of content: NC Second Chance Alliance
For specific eligibility criteria, please see the 2018 Summary of North Carolina Expunctions.
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