We believe that plea bargains that allow sexual predators to avoid appropriate sentencing silences victims and endangers our community. When a sexual predator is not properly brought to justice, their likelihood to reoffend increases dramatically. (As seen with the case of State-vs-Vest located in Harnett county, NC 09/15/2026). We believe that innapropriate sentencing sends a clear message to other sexual predators that they can get away with sex crimes and only get a slap on the wrist. Insufficient punishment for sex crimes silences and discourages future victims from going to law enforcement because they beleive justice will not be served. 

We urge the North Carolina District Attorneys as well as the State's Attorney General to adopt stronger standards for plea agreements involving sex crimes of any kind, but especially those against minors as implied by the following:

1. People who have committed sexual crimes against minors or have attempted to, shall receive the maximum punishment afforded by the law and shall be required to register as an offender by the authority of the District Attorneys. It shall be required that such registration be known by notification to any future employers, neighbors, church congregations, social settings, etc. 

2. District Attorneys shall ensure victims are informed and given an opportunity to be heard before a plea agreement is accepted, as clearly stated in Marsy’s law. 

3. When considering punishment for the crime, the judge shall be ordered, and not allowed to refuse or follow IRYNA’S law. 

4. Judges shall be required to take at least a 30 minute recess to review any general statues and laws pertaining to sentencing. This will ensure that the judge does not violate any new laws or general statutes that govern their sentencing decisions. 

5. The District Attorney's Office in each district of NC should track and publish data on plea agreements involving sexual crimes against minors, to prevent any violation Marsy’s law (adopted in NC as of 09/06/2018). Each District Attorneys office in NC shall also be required to display information on each type of plea including a definition or description, as well as the legal ramifications of each plea such as civil liability. This will allow adequate public knowledge of what a plea offer is and provide a full constitution to make sure the victims and families are fully educated on what the plea is and how it functions under the law. We should not assume that there is a general public knowledge of how a plea agreement functions. Unless educated on the law, the typical law abiding citizen does not possess the knowledge to fully understand how a plea works and its legal ramifications. 

6. The NC Attorney General should be held to an even higher standard when it comes to special prosecutors. The State's special prosecutors should immediately be willing to put aside any and all prejudice that arise from conflicts with local prosecution without any hesitation. The NC Attorney General shall be held fully liable if it is mentioned to the courts that their special prosecutors are not upholding a law that is in place to protect victims. The State's special prosecutors shall be willing and liable to immediately stop the proceeding in an attempt to regain control, or the penalty of such negligence shall be the burden of the NCDOJ to bare. 

7. It shall be required that judges must follow all considering factors when sentencing takes place.

8. Some form of state mandated class either monthly or quarterly be required for the sentencing judges to refresh them on laws that apply to sentencing guidelines and also how to use the true weight of victim impact statements and evidence to calculate a fair sentence.

9. No judge shall be allowed to label an already convicted sex offender's crime as “not recidivism” when he or she is brought before the courts for sentencing on new charges of sex crimes of any nature. The sex offender shall automatically be classified as a recidivist once there is a second occurrence of a crime or a second victim, regardless of the time frame between offenses. 

10. The State should limit what cases a defendant is allowed to enter into an Alford plea. Specifically, the State should ban the use of Alford pleas for sex crimes involving a minor. If willing to take a plea, especially in violent sex crimes, an Alford plea should never be offered by State. The admitting offender should either make a full admission of guilt or choose to go to trial. Alford pleas prevent victims from receiving the psychological acknowledgment and closure of a true admission of guilt. Alford pleas also hinder the rehabilitation process, as true rehabilitation often requires a true admission of guilt. Additionally, Alford pleas undermine the integrity of the judicial system because it harms the public's confidence when the court sentences a defendent who openly maintains their innocence. Other states have banned Alford pleas completely: Indiana, Michigan, and New Jersey.