Video Advocacy for North Carolina Parole Applications (2025-2026)
North Carolina’s prison population has risen sharply in recent decades, surpassing 37,000 people in 2023. Black residents are disproportionately affected, with incarceration rates nearly six times higher than those of white residents, according to the Prison Policy Initiative. While parole offers a pathway for reintegration, it is often denied due to the complexity of the system. Incarcerated individuals and their families frequently lack guidance on how to navigate the process, and parole commissioners may not have sufficient context to fully assess a case.
To address this gap, some organizations, including WITNESS and the Legal Aid Society, are using “mitigation videos” to supplement written parole applications. These videos provide a fuller picture of an applicant’s character, circumstances, and community, which can strengthen advocacy efforts.
This team worked directly with incarcerated individuals to develop short documentary videos intended to support their parole application. Throughout the year, team members participated in prison visits, interviews with family and community members, transcription and media organization, editorial review sessions, and discussions about the ethical and legal stakes of representing incarcerated individuals through documentary media. The project served both as a practical advocacy effort and as an educational model for interdisciplinary collaboration across law, public policy and documentary studies.
Timing
Fall 2025 – Spring 2026
Team Outputs
Three parole advocacy videos submitted to be included in North Carolina’s parole applications
Consent procedures, interviews protocols and documentation for use in future parole application videos
Course and project materials for a future undergraduate course on parole video advocacy
Article examining parole advocacy video production as a model for experiential learning and legal storytelling (In progress)
Video Advocacy for North Carolina Parole Applications (Interactive display at the Fortin Foundation Bass Connections Showcase, April 15, 2026)
This Team in the News
Duke Law Students Impact Lives and Advance Justice Through Pro Bono Service (Duke Law)