University of North Carolina President Erskine Bowles recently appointed Dr. Harvey L. McMurray, chair, Department of Criminal Justice, North Carolina Central University, to represent the University of North Carolina on the Governor’s StreetSafe Task Force. The task force was established last year to explore ways to help people released from prison make successful transitions back into community life.

McMurray said, “I am hopeful that the StreetSafe Task Force will seize this opportunity to have frank discussions about balancing public safety with social justice.”

He applauds the Governor’s foresight in establishing the Task Force and insists that at the end of the day, its success will be measured by advocating for home comers and by giving them a second chance. His goals are to reduce recidivism and ensure that the limited fiscal resources available are invested efficiently and effectively.

On September 19, 2009, Governor Bev Perdue named 34 members to the StreetSafe Task Force. Attorney General Roy Cooper and Department of Correction Secretary Alvin Keller serve as co-chairs. StreetSafe will bring together faith-based organizations, nonprofits, local and state government agencies, business leaders and members of the community to develop a plan to combat recidivism and reintegrate offenders safely into the community.

North Carolina Central University is the first publicly supported liberal arts college for African-Americans and this year, U.S. News & World Report ranked NCCU among the top ten HBCUs in the country. As NCCU celebrates its Centennial Year, a diverse student body of more than 8,500 students is enrolled in programs such as law, business, library science, nursing, education,