RALEIGH, N.C. — Solitary confinement, overcrowding and not having proper job opportunities are all things that can be degrading to an inmate. That’s why Sandra Hardee and Ron Cappell have dedicated themselves to prison reform. They are part of an organization called NC Cure that advocates for the humane treatment of people in North Carolina state prisons.



The non-profit hosted a conference Monday to advocate for inmates and create a call to action for prison reform in North Carolina.

“They need to be separated from society,” Hardee said. “But once they're there, they don't need to be treated less than human. In fact, they need to be restored so that when they are released, they're able to go back into communities.”

To address these issues, Cappell and Hardee organized a conference that brought together state leaders, advocacy groups and formerly incarcerated people. That included Todd Ishee, the head of state adult prisons in North Carolina, who addressed the call for reforms.

The couple hopes that having big names like Ishee’s at their conference will create restorative and rehabilitative environments in the prison system in the future that will lead to safer communities.

“Prison reform is not a single thing, though,” Hardee said. “You know, it's a multitude of actions or changes in policies that would have to happen to really have effective prison reform.”

Cappell has been volunteering in prison ministry for 34 years. He says over time, he’s noticed many people think convicts don’t deserve to be treated well. That leads to funding getting cut down for important programs, such as higher education for inmates. However, over the past few years, Cappell he says they’ve started to see things heading in the right direction.

“Even those who make mistakes, even serious mistakes,” Hardee said. “We want [them] to have value and purpose.”