# Inside North Carolina’s prison crisis as a former inmate turns a state prison into a second-chance campus

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/charlotte-talks-with-mike-collins-6469304/inside-north-carolina-s-prison-crisis-as-a-former-inmate-turns-a-state-prison-into-a-second-chance-campus
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/charlotte-talks-with-mike-collins-6469304/inside-north-carolina-s-prison-crisis-as-a-former-inmate-turns-a-state-prison-into-a-second-chance-campus.md
Podcast: [Charlotte Talks With Mike Collins](https://stenobird.com/podcast/charlotte-talks-with-mike-collins-6469304)
Published: 2026-05-28T16:52:17+00:00
Episode link: https://www.wfae.org/show/charlotte-talks-with-mike-collins/2026-05-27/inside-north-carolinas-prison-crisis-as-a-former-inmate-turns-a-state-prison-into-a-second-chance-campus
Audio file: https://cpa.ds.npr.org/s380/audio/2026/05/ctpod20260528.mp3
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Duration seconds: 3013

## Resource

North Carolina’s prison system is facing a crisis, from severe staffing shortages and budget pressures to the growing needs of an aging inmate population. We sit down with Secretary Leslie Cooley Dismukes to talk about the mounting concerns. Then we hear the story of Kerwin Pittman, a former inmate who is now transforming an abandoned prison into a space focused on opportunity, healing and second chances.

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## Transcript

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