HB 532 – Criminal Justice Equality Act of 2021

Primary House Sponsors: Rep. Marcia Morey (D-Durham); Rep. James Gailliard (D-Nash); Rep. Amos Quick, III (D-Guilford)

Summary

This bill seeks to make a series of changes related to criminal justice, policing, and juvenile justice. Specifically, this bill:

  • States that strangleholds, chokeholds, lateral vascular neck restraints, carotid restraints, or any other tactics that restrict oxygen or blood flow to the head or neck will be considered the use of deadly force as used in statutes governing the use of force during arrest.
  • Requires state troopers, company police officers, campus police officers, SBI law enforcement officers, county law enforcement officers, and city law enforcement officers to render medical assistance to persons in custody under certain specified circumstances.
  • Appropriates $500K to the Department of Justice in recurring funds for each year of the 2021-2023 fiscal biennium to be used to provide grant funds to organizations that provide and promote violence prevention programs that treat violence as a public health program or that provide and promote services such a mentoring and counseling to vulnerable populations.
  • Appropriates $4.2M to the Administrative Office of the Courts in recurring funds for each year of the 2021-2023 fiscal biennium to be used to support the NC Drug Treatment Court Program.
  • Appropriates $4.2M to the Administrative Office of the Courts in recurring funds for each year of the 2021-2023 fiscal biennium to be used to facilitate the creation and funding of new and existing mental health court programs.

Movement

Filed – 4/12/2021