Noel Nickle of the NC Coalition for Alternatives to the Death Penalty on their new appeal to Governor Cooper • NC Newsline

It has been 18 years since North Carolina last executed someone as punishment for a crime – a period in which a rapidly growing number of states and countries have abolished the death penalty. Yet the death penalty remains on the state's statute books and 136 people remain on death row. And that fact continues to spur an active and growing movement of activists who say it is long past time for the state to abolish what they see as a barbaric and outdated punishment.

Right now, the group's efforts are focused on urging Governor Roy Cooper to use his constitutional power to commute the sentences of these 136 individuals to life in prison before he leaves office at the end of the year. We recently had the opportunity to learn more about this effort in a conversation with Noel Nickle, the director of the North Carolina Coalition for Alternatives to the Death Penalty.