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Status:
Active State
The administration of the death penalty in North Carolina dates back to colonial times. Over 780 individuals were executed in North Carolina before the 1972 Furman v. Georgia case, which temporarily halted the death penalty in many states, including North Carolina. In light of that decision, the North Carolina Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty would be mandatory for certain crimes. The number of inmates climbed to an all-time high of 120, at that time the highest number in the nation. The U.S. Supreme Court overturned the state’s mandatory death penalty in 1976 in the case of Woodson vs. North Carolina. The 120 inmates awaiting execution had their sentences vacated, many received new trials, and most were re-sentenced to life in prison. North Carolina legislated a new death penalty law in 1977 which has remained in effect through the present.No one was executed in North Carolina between 1961 and 1984. When executions resumed, inmates were allowed to choose the manner of death – gas or lethal injection. Today, Lethal injection is the only allowed execution method.
In 2001, North Carolina launched a first-of-its-kind in the nation Innocence Inquiry Commission. The Commission was created by the North Carolina General Assembly in 2006 and began operating in 2007. Since then, the Commission has reviewed hundreds of innocence claims and conducted multiple hearings. In August 2009, North Carolina passed the Racial Justice Act, which prohibits seeking or imposing the death penalty on the basis of race, includes the use of statewide statistical evidence to show a pattern of racial discrimination, and applies retroactively for one year.
Since 2007, the state has been under an execution moratorium due to constitutionality concerns about its lethal injection protocol and the death penalty’s fair application. This multi-year moratorium is the longest gap in executions since before 1961. Five persons on the state’s death row have been exonerated.
In August 2009, North Carolina passed the Racial Justice Act, which prohibited seeking or imposing the death penalty due to race since statewide statistical evidence showed a pattern of racial discrimination in death sentences. Opponents repealed the law in 2013. On June 5, 2020 the North Carolina Supreme Court reversed that repeal and found over 100 people currently on the state’s death row were entitled to a hearing to examine whether racism played a role in their death sentences.
For more information and ways to get involved, contact your state's organizations:
North Carolina Coalition for Alternatives to the Death Penalty
The N.C. Coalition for Alternatives to the Death Penalty is a non-partisan network of organizations and citizens across the state who work cooperatively to reform North Carolina’s capital punishment system. Our members include attorneys, politicians, faith communities and nonprofit organizations dedicated to criminal justice reform, victims’ rights and restorative justice.
Catholics for Abolition in North Carolina
Catholics for Abolition in North Carolina (CANC) is a group of dedicated members committed to abolishing the death penalty in North Carolina through education and formation by deepening understanding of the sanctity of human life, advocating for new legislation intended for acceptable alternatives to the death penalty and envisioning a culture of life for all.
Abolition State 
Executions Paused, Abolition Legislation Introduced 
Executions Paused by Executive Action 
Active State