Incarceration

A Charlotte workforce development group plans to open a digital tech repair space Thursday in one of the city’s low-income Corridors of Opportunity. It’s part of their efforts to help those who have been formerly incarcerated gain access to employment.

Restarting your life after incarceration can come with challenges and roadblocks, such as gaining access to transportation, housing and employment. Those were the challenges Charlotte community members faced on Tuesday as part of a county simulation.

The North Carolina Post-Release and Parole Commission has denied Brett Abrams release more than 20 times since 1993, even after a federal district court judge blasted the commission in 2015 for not providing people who committed crimes as children a “meaningful opportunity” to prove they’ve been rehabilitated. Now, he's suing.

People leaving prison hoping to find a job and start a new life have a lot of challenges. In Charlotte, City Startup Labs works to make the transition easier by showing the formerly incarcerated how to start their own businesses.

Prison leaders say that 2024 will be an inflection year to make significant progress breaking down barriers formerly incarcerated people face when returning to the community.

The incarceration rate for women is now more than five times higher than it was in 1980, and the rate of incarceration for black women is double that of…