As Wake County considers new pretrial release guidelines, low-income and mentally ill people are being locked up.
Jeffrey Billman
Jeffrey Billman is a politics and law reporter for The Assembly. The former editor-in-chief of INDY in Durham, he holds a master's degree in public policy analysis from the University of Central Florida.
Posted inCourts & Justice, Politics & Government
The Evolution of Damon Chetson
Wake’s would-be progressive reformer started out at a Koch-funded think tank.
Posted inCourts & Justice
What Freeman’s Second Chances Look Like
Critics say the Wake County District Attorney’s programs are less than meets the eye.
Posted inCourts & Justice
Police Reform Finds Its Backlash
Durham was transforming the police long before ‘Defund’ became a national discussion. But after an electoral shift in the deep blue city, the future of an aggressive push on policing alternatives is uncertain—and shootings continue.
Posted inCourts & Justice
Police Informants, Unchecked
Last month, prosecutors indicted a Raleigh police informant for fabricating drug trafficking cases. His story raises questions about how the police department manages its confidential informants, and why its officers have escaped accountability.
Posted inPolitics & Government
Mark Robinson’s Super-Secret Indoctrination Task Force
The lieutenant governor made waves when he announced a new effort to investigate indoctrination in the state’s schools. Multiple experts say his secretive approach breaks state law.
Posted inPolitics & Government
The Progressive Fight for Durham’s Soul
Last year, Durham’s county manager accused a commissioner of racism. Last week, commissioners ousted him. This is the inside story of how North Carolina’s most progressive county is tearing itself apart.
Posted inPolitics & Government
A Bottle Too Far
North Carolina stands out for its stringent liquor laws and sprawling control bureaucracy. That rigidity is now crashing headlong into a growing array of outspoken entrepreneurs, intent on exposing the system’s absurdities.
