BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C. (NCN News) — North Carolina’s first lady hosted several fellow first ladies on a tour of a driver’s license restoration clinic and rehabilitative programs offered at a western North Carolina prison (March 10).
First Lady Anna Stein and Department of Adult Correction Secretary Leslie Cooley Dismukes hosted Oklahoma First Lady Sarah Stitt and North Dakota First Lady Kjersti Armstrong at Western Correctional Center for Women in Black Mountain and toured rehabilitative programs offered at the prison.
According to a news release, during the clinic, staff and volunteers from Pisgah Legal Services and students from the Duke Law School Pro Bono Program provided legal assistance to help incarcerated women begin the process of restoring suspended driver’s licenses. Having a valid license means the ability to get to a job or take care of family.
“Having a driver’s license as a form of ID and to enable transportation is one of the most important tools for achieving stability after prison,” said Secretary Dismukes. “I commend Pisgah Legal Services and the Duke Law School Pro Bono Program for their commitment to improving lives and opening doors for those leaving incarceration and reentering our communities.”
“I’m proud of the Department of Adult Correction for reaching out to Pisgah Legal Services and Duke Law School’s Pro Bono Program to help this group of women be better prepared to reenter society,” said First Lady Stein. “Having First Lady Stitt and First Lady Armstrong here to see the great things we are doing in North Carolina, like this clinic, has been a bonus.”
The Duke Law School Pro Bono Program helps people access better employment and housing opportunities through criminal record expunction and driver’s license restoration efforts. It provides free legal services, including record review and petition drafting, frequently in partnership with local nonprofits.
Pisgah Legal Services operates clinics in western North Carolina to help low-income individuals restore suspended driver’s licenses, particularly for those with unpaid traffic fines, court debt, or non-driving suspensions. These services often involve volunteer attorneys and partners to assist with legal advice, petition drafting and criminal record clearance.
The North Carolina Department of Adult Correction partners with law schools and legal organizations periodically to hold driver’s license restoration clinics at prisons across the state. Over the past two days the First Ladies participated in the National Governors Association’s Youth Mental Health Action Lab in Asheville. The event brought together First Spouses and state mental health policy staff from across the country to discuss leveraging First Spouses’ offices to advance mental health policies.