Administration of Justice Bulletin #2002/02

The longest legislative session in state history resulted in no major overhauls in the field of criminal law and procedure but it did reach into many different areas and produced some significant changes. Perhaps the most important legislation came in the death penalty area, with the General Assembly sparing mentally retarded people from the death penalty and allowing prosecutors greater discretion to choose between seeking life imprisonment or death as the punishment for first-degree murder.

Each ratified act discussed here is identified by its chapter number in the session laws and by the number of the original bill. When an act creates new sections in the General Statutes (G.S.), the section number is given; however, the codifier of statutes may change that number later. Copies of the bills may be viewed on the website for the General Assembly, http://www.ncleg.net/.