Really interesting piece by our Mitch Kokai about North Carolina’s criminal code.

It came across as an offhand comment, not designed to sway colleagues to vote one way or another.

But Rep. Larry Yarborough, R-Person, uttered one sentence last week on the floor of the state House of Representatives that highlighted a major issue facing North Carolina’s criminal justice system.

“We probably need to rewrite this whole criminal code with someone that knows what they’re doing,” Yarborough quipped, more than one hour into debate about House Bill 280, the Juvenile Justice Reinvestment Act.

As Mitch references in his column, JLF’s Jon Guze has written about the need for what’s deemed ‘mens rea’ reform,’ including reviewing, revising, and recodifying the entire body of North Carolina criminal law. If you’re a legal buff, or someone who cares about criminal justice, Guze’s piece is a must-read.