North Carolina’s First Lady Takes On Rehabilitation And Reentry

By Rachel Crumpler

More than 600 group gathered successful Raleigh past April astatine nan North Carolina Rehabilitation and Reentry Conference. One possibly unexpected attendee sat beforehand and center: first woman Anna Stein.

The logic soon became clear. Stein addressed nan crowd, announcing rehabilitation and reentry arsenic one of 3 privilege issues she planned to attraction on during her hubby Gov. Josh Stein’s clip successful office. 

First woman Anna Stein speaks astatine nan NC Rehabilitation and Reentry Conference held successful April 2025. The convention brought together much than 600 attendees from crossed nan authorities to stock champion practices, web and advocator for systemic betterment to amended support for group leaving incarceration. Credit: N.C. Department of Adult Correction

“People who are incarcerated are genuinely nan invisible of our society,” Stein told convention attendees connected April 2. “I want to springiness them nan connection that I spot them, and I want to perceive what they person to say.

“I’m excited to rotation up my sleeves and get to activity alongside you,” she continued.

The announcement sparked a buzz successful nan room. Many attendees had spent years pressing for greater attraction connected rehabilitation and nan challenges of reentering communities aft incarceration. They had worked — sometimes pinch small advancement — to elevate issues affecting a organization that’s often overlooked, moreover though thousands of group rhythm done North Carolina’s prisons and jails each year.

To advocates, Stein’s remarks signaled that nan caller management intended to proceed — and moreover grow — nan emphasis connected strengthening support for group leaving incarceration that began nether erstwhile Gov. Roy Cooper successful 2024. 

That sent a “ripple of excitement passim nan full reentry community,” said Jennifer Jackson, main executive serviceman of Arise Collective, a nonprofit statement successful Raleigh that supports women affected by incarceration.

“Everyone understands this is simply a really unique, possibly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to person personification for illustration her who gives credence, who lifts up nan value of group who person knowledgeable incarceration,” Jackson said.

Over nan past year, Stein has traveled crossed nan authorities to sojourn prisons and programs that service formerly incarcerated people, and she has learned from work providers, advocates and those straight affected by incarceration.

North Carolina’s authorities prisons location astir 32,000 people, and thousands much are successful region jails. About 95 percent of them will 1 time beryllium released. Yet galore return to communities without unchangeable support — gaps that tin quickly derail efforts to rebuild lives and tin substance cycles of reincarceration, astatine a high costs to taxpayers.

“It’s successful each of our champion interests to springiness them nan champion chance of success,” Stein told NC Health News.

Stein said North Carolina’s astir valuable assets is its group — including those reentering nan organization aft serving a jailhouse aliases situation sentence. But stigma and different barriers, she said, often artifact entree to housing, jobs and acquisition — which are each basal to semipermanent stability. 

Why reentry?

Stein told NC Health News her determination to attraction connected reentry and rehabilitation — on pinch ending stigma astir constituent usage and intelligence wellness disorders — was shaped by her activity from 2011 to 2024 arsenic an lawyer and argumentation advisor astatine nan N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. She specialized successful argumentation related to ineligible substances specified arsenic baccy and alcohol, arsenic good arsenic illicit substances. 

“A batch of folks pinch constituent usage upset besides person a history of incarceration aliases are presently incarcerated, truthful I started to study astir those populations,” Stein told NC Health News.

During that work, Stein learned that people leaving incarceration are 40 times much apt than personification successful nan wide organization to dice of an opioid overdose successful nan first 2 weeks aft their merchandise — a statistic that group her connected a way of promoting greater access to medications for opioid usage upset successful North Carolina jails. 

She besides helped create a jail wellness instrumentality kit outlining nan basal components of providing attraction successful nan state’s jails successful an effort to amended wellness outcomes for detainees.

Her domiciled arsenic first lady, Stein said, has opened an opportunity to prosecute much broadly pinch incarceration and reentry challenges — analyzable topics that she said didn’t intimidate her.

“I did nationalist wellness policy. I’m an attorney. I do for illustration to get successful nan weeds connected issues,” Stein said. “And, boy, this is meaty.”

From learning curve to hands-on work

Stein was candid pinch reentry stakeholders that she was starting “at nan bottommost of a steep learning curve.” She group an early extremity of visiting all 55 of North Carolina’s authorities prisons, mounting a gait of getting to astir 2 caller accommodation each period pinch her team.

Last year, Stein visited 20 prisons — returning to immoderate accommodation much than once. She’s observed programs successful action, learned astir situation processes and challenges, and met pinch situation unit arsenic good arsenic incarcerated people.

First woman Anna Stein visited Central Prison successful Raleigh successful July 2025. The installation is nan main aesculapian and intelligence wellness halfway for incarcerated males. Credit: First Lady Anna Stein's Facebook

“You spot things that are benignant of nan aforesaid [in] different places, but past you spot things that are different,” Stein said. “It’s nosy because I get to show nan facility, if it’s thing positive, ‘I person not seen this point that you’re doing that’s truthful great.’”

The visits are often shared connected her societal media accounts. In a Jan. 21 post, for example, she described attending a graduation ceremonial for nan Nurturing Fathers programme astatine Craven Correctional Institution successful Vanceboro, wherever men study parenting skills and ways to build stronger relationships pinch their children.

For Stein, learning from group connected nan crushed was ne'er optional — an attack she attributes successful portion to her nationalist wellness background.

“In nationalist health, we had specified beardown relationships pinch nan counties, and I’ve ever felt for illustration advancement is local,” Stein said. “Oftentimes, there’s authorities policy, but if you don’t spell to that section level and talk to nan group connected nan crushed who are really surviving retired nan things that you’re reasoning astir from this precocious level, you’re not going to do a bully job. 

First woman Anna Stein speaks pinch incarcerated men astatine Orange Correctional Center successful Hillsborough during nan Carolina Prison Music Initiative’s inaugural showcase successful December 2025. Credit: First Lady Anna Stein's Facebook

“You person to understand it from that granular level,” she said. “So for me, that includes nan wardens, nan unit and nan group that are incarcerated. I want to perceive from each of those group astir what they are seeing.”

Stein has besides prioritized walking astir nan authorities to sojourn organizations serving formerly incarcerated people, including programs providing wellness care, constituent usage curen and housing.

In August, she visited Coastal Horizons successful Wilmington. Melissa Radcliff, programme head astatine Our Children’s Place of Coastal Horizons Center, which supports children of incarcerated and returning parents statewide, said she had her three-minute elevator transportation ready. Instead, to her surprise, Radcliff said nan first woman spent much than 30 minutes talking to her astir her work, nan gaps she sees successful reentry services and what greater accent connected parent-child relationships could look like. 

“It’s breathtaking that personification astatine her level could benignant of return this connected arsenic an issue, and put a caller group of eyes connected it,” Radcliff said. “Because it was caller to her, she could inquire some, I think, really bully questions astir why are we doing it that way? Or, why are we not doing it this way?”

First woman Anna Stein (center) walks pinch erstwhile Benevolence Farm residents Mona Evans and Linda Cayton, some formerly incarcerated, arsenic they lead her connected a circuit of nan reentry program. Credit: First Lady Anna Stein's Facebook

That aforesaid attack was evident during Stein’s sojourn to Alamance County successful November, erstwhile she served arsenic a keynote speaker astatine Benevolence Farm’s groundbreaking ceremonial for a mini location community serving formerly incarcerated women. After her remarks, Stein toured nan workplace pinch erstwhile residents, learning astir their challenges and hopes, said Benevolence Farm Executive Director Kristen Powers. 

Advocates opportunity that willingness to perceive — and to linger — has shown Stein’s genuine liking successful uncovering solutions.

“I could spot personification successful this domiciled possibly trying to predominate nan conversation, aliases steer successful directions that aren’t helpful,” Powers said. “I deliberation what nan first woman has been really tactful astatine doing is utilizing her level to halfway nan lived experiences of group and nan voices of those who are closest to nan solutions — because they are closest to nan problems. That makes her a awesome portion of nan [reentry] community.”’

Jackson, who has observed Stein astatine aggregate events, including erstwhile she received a Champion of Hope grant from Arise Collective successful November, lauded Stein’s approach.

“She conscionable hones successful connected nan folks who are closest connected nan ground, nan group who person been impacted by nan issues,” Jackson said. “There is specified a bosom and liking that I person seen successful her, successful gathering them, successful being a regular personification pinch [formerly incarcerated people]. No powerfulness dynamics — conscionable quality being to quality being.”

First woman Anna Stein attends a May ribbon-cutting ceremonial celebrating nan opening of Arise Collective’s programme center, designed to grow support for justice-involved women. Jennifer Jackson, nan organization’s main executive officer, cuts nan ribbon. Credit: First Lady Anna Stein's Facebook

‘Not an quiet initiative’

Stein is besides moving pinch authorities leaders to construe what she learns during her statewide visits into improvements. N.C. Department of Adult Correction Secretary Leslie Cooley Dismukes told NC Health News she’s thrilled pinch nan first lady’s attraction connected rehabilitation and reentry, noting that Stein’s engagement helps group understand that prisons are astir much than conscionable holding people.

“The first woman is not a female who does things halfway,” said Dismukes, who has known Anna Stein from moving pinch her hubby astatine nan N.C. Department of Justice while he was lawyer general. “I knew that she would want to beryllium very progressive and really beryllium a partner successful group reasoning what solutions look for illustration and really she tin usage her level and her ray to thief pinch immoderate of our issues.”

First woman Anna Stein meets pinch situation leaders successful May 2025 astatine nan North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women successful Raleigh to study astir disposable rehabilitation and reentry options. The installation has nan largest incarcerated population, pinch a capacity of 1,776 women. Credit: First Lady Anna Stein's Facebook

That engagement has led to biweekly meetings betwixt nan first woman and her squad and situation leaders. The Department of Adult Correction helps facilitate tours and accusation requests related to programs and topics she wants to study much about. Dismukes said that nan feedback loop has been beardown and collaborative, and that having Stein’s position — not entrenched successful nan agency — brings benefits, specified arsenic nan morale boost for her unit who interact pinch Stein.

“I realized that this agency and nan folks that activity successful nan prisons conscionable don’t get a batch of attention,” Stein said. “It’s really been eye-opening to maine really invited nan attraction connected their issues is.”

In April, Dismukes besides appointed Stein to nan Joint Reentry Council, which coordinates efforts among North Carolina furniture agencies to fortify support for group returning to nan organization aft incarceration. The group formed successful early 2024, aft Cooper’s Executive Order No. 303 directed a whole-of-government attack to addressing reentry challenges, and nan state has outlined an eager group of goals to meet by 2030. Stein’s assignment gives her a spot astatine nan array arsenic statewide reforms are planned and implemented. 

First woman Anna Stein serves connected nan Joint Reentry Council, which meets regularly to coordinate efforts among authorities furniture agencies to fortify reentry support for group leaving incarceration. Credit: First Lady Anna Stein's Facebook

Kerwin Pittman, who spent much than 11 years incarcerated and is simply a personnel of nan council, said seeing Stein champion nan rumor and prioritize nan perspectives of formerly incarcerated individuals is meaningful.

“It is highly reassuring to spot personification of her magnitude and stature radiance a ray connected reentry because for a agelong time, stakeholders who really had powerfulness did not salary attraction to reentry and recidivism reduction,” Pittman said.

Dismukes said it’s clear from moving intimately pinch Stein that “this is not an quiet inaugural for her.”

“She takes it very earnestly and wants to spot outcomes, and wants to spot results, and wants to spot partnerships,” Dismukes said.

Work ahead

As Stein’s knowing of incarceration and reentry has deepened, she said she’s fresh to push beyond listening and learning — and toward tangible change. 

In nan coming year, she plans to attraction connected strengthening parenting programs, arsenic astir one-third of North Carolina’s situation organization are parents pinch insignificant children; supporting peer-led initiatives that let incarcerated group to usage their skills to thief 1 another; and expanding nan number of organization volunteers wrong prisons.

“There will beryllium galore more, but those are conscionable immoderate of nan ones that I tin spot correct now,” Stein told NC Health News.

First woman Anna Stein toured Neuse Correctional Institution successful Goldsboro successful December 2025, including a visitation area designed pinch kids successful mind. Stein is peculiarly willing successful really prisons tin amended support parent-child relationships. According to N.C. Department of Adult Correction information from Feb. 8, 2025, 11,124 incarcerated group were parents of insignificant children, affecting much than 21,000 children statewide. Credit: First Lady Anna Stein's Facebook

Significant challenges stay successful advancing nan state’s rehabilitation and reentry goals — main among them: staffing. The N.C. Department of Adult Correction is grappling pinch captious unit shortages that impact regular operations and entree to programming. 

Stein said she wants to find ways to amended support nan well-being of correctional officers, who she recognizes play a captious domiciled successful supporting nan incarcerated organization and successful nationalist safety. 

“Our expertise to supply rehabilitation and reentry programming is contingent upon having beardown staffing successful our prisons,” Stein said.

Building support

Advocates who activity to support formerly incarcerated group cognize advancement is seldom elemental aliases accelerated — and that nan first lady’s engagement unsocial won’t lick profoundly rooted problems, peculiarly erstwhile backing and argumentation decisions are mostly extracurricular her nonstop control. 

Still, galore opportunity her beingness and attraction bring momentum.

“No matter who’s been elected successful office, it’s ever felt for illustration an uphill conflict erstwhile it comes to argumentation and legislation,” Powers from Benevolence Farm said. “What group affected by incarceration and nan organizations supporting them person ever known is our successes are really going to beryllium based connected nan spot of our community. Elections are going to alteration who’s successful agency and who holds power. What’s successful our power is building that organization of support.”

Powers said nan first woman is helping fortify that foundation, and she hopes different leaders will follow.

“The much group understand this work, nan amended — particularly successful this clip wherever it feels for illustration we are prioritizing incarcerating group alternatively of figuring retired really to lick nan existent issues that lead to incarceration,” Powers said.

Stein said she hopes her level tin trim stigma astir incarceration by reminding nan nationalist that group are much than their worst mistakes and by bringing visibility to nan challenges of rebuilding a life aft incarceration. She’s worked to weave that connection into her mundane domiciled arsenic first lady, including astatine Christmas, erstwhile she dressed up nan character astatine nan Executive Mansion pinch ornaments made by incarcerated parents and their children. 

“We will ne'er beryllium capable to measurement nan effect that I would personally person connected this issue,” Stein said. “But each I tin do is try.”

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