H511 - North Carolina First Step Act

• Allows judges to impose sentences below mandatory minimums for drug trafficking convictions under G.S. 90-95(h) if 11 specific conditions are met, including acceptance of responsibility, no prior felony drug convictions, no use of violence or weapons, and admission of substance abuse disorder with completed treatment.

• Creates retroactive relief mechanism allowing persons serving sentences for drug trafficking or conspiracy charges committed before December 1, 2020, to file motions for sentence modification within 36 months, subject to the same eligibility criteria as prospective sentencing.

• Requires the Administrative Office of the Courts to publish annual reports beginning December 1, 2021, on the number of sentences modified under the new sentencing authority.

• Directs the Department of Information Technology to conduct a statewide study by December 1, 2021, examining criminal justice data collection systems across courts, jails, and prisons and recommending solutions for integrated data sharing.

• Becomes effective December 1, 2020, for prospective sentencing and sentence modification motions, except for the data study provisions which have extended timelines.