CDPL is a non-profit law firm that represents people on death row, coordinates capital litigation across North Carolina, and serves as a clearinghouse for accurate and timely information on the N.C. death penalty. We believe that indigent defendants facing the death penalty deserve the same kind of high-quality representation available to the highest-paying clients. We also believe that ending the unjust and error-prone death penalty is a crucial part of building a more humane criminal justice system in North Carolina. Read more about our work.
What’s New
Help us celebrate this year’s Osborn & Messenger of Light Award winners
Please join CDPL on Tuesday, Sept. 26 to honor three of the most talented and steadfast people in our fight against the death penalty. We will celebrate the contributions of two extraordinary capital defense attorneys, Marilyn Ozer and the late Bill Massengale, the 2023 winners of the Osborn Award. We will also honor Patricia Carrington for her many years of service at Central Prison’s Visitation Department with the Messenger of Light Award. Best-selling novelist and lawyer, John Grisham will join us as a special guest!
Meet CDPL’s 2023 award winners
Each year, we give an award in honor of J. Kirk Osborn, one of the giants of North Carolina’s capital defense community, whose advocacy and deep compassion for his clients saved many lives and inspired other attorneys to follow in his footsteps. We also give the Messenger of LIght Award to people who make significant contributions to our work and our clients. Read about this year’s extraordinarily deserving winners.
Ending the death penalty makes us all more free
Listen as our director of public information tells a very personal story of how she learned the truth about our state’s racist criminal punishment system and makes a compelling argument for why every North Carolinian should join the grassroots movement to end the death penalty. As Kristin says, “Whether we accept or reject the death penalty is not about what happens to other people. It’s about who we are and the kind of world we want to live in.”
Support our Work
Help us provide the best possible representation to people facing execution and educate the public about the injustice and racist roots of the death penalty. Donate here. Or sign up here to get updates about our work.
Join the Movement
CDPL is a member of the NC Coalition for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. If you want to be a part of the grassroots movement to end the NC death penalty, please visit their website to learn and get involved.
Intern or Volunteer
Do you want to learn about capital defense while working alongside a dedicated staff? If you are a law student looking for a summer internship, learn more here. If you are interested in volunteering, apply here.