THUMBS UP to District Attorney Robert Evans for his work on a comprehensive report recommending reforms to North Carolina’s criminal justice system that would make our courts fairer. 

Evans, the elected district attorney for Wilson, Nash and Edgecombe counties, was among eight prosecutors who did the heavy lifting in compiling the N.C. Conference of District Attorneys’ 14-page “Report on Race, Equity and Criminal Justice.”

Among the working group’s proposed changes is a preference for citations and summonses instead of arrests for nonviolent offenses, a study of successful diversion programs, expansion of conditional discharge, a review of bond policies and a thorough analysis to identify potential sentencing disparities. 

North Carolina’s county jails are often clogged with defendants accused of minor crimes who languish in pretrial confinement because they can’t afford to post bail. Bond is simply a mechanism to ensure someone appears in court, but it often functions as a punishment, undermining the constitutional principle that people accused of crimes are presumed innocent until proven guilty. 

Up to 95% of state criminal charges are resolved by plea bargain. Often, defendants whose bond amounts exceed their financial means will agree to plead guilty so they can get out of jail. For those who are innocent and would otherwise mount a defense to the charges against them, high bond amounts force an unenviable choice: Your reputation or your freedom. 

While the district attorneys stop short of calling for the state to abolish cash bail, their report offers hope that the system can be reformed. We’re proud that Evans wants to be part of the solution. 

THUMBS UP to the thousands of people who sent heartfelt messages to Cannon Hinnant’s family for Valentine’s Day, allowing his sisters to hold a meaningful tribute to the 5-year-old Wilson boy. 

Eight-year-old Carly and 7-year-old Ava Hinnant asked community members to mail valentines to the family’s post office box so they could read them at their brother’s gravesite on their first Valentine’s Day without Cannon, who was fatally shot outside his father’s home on Aug. 9. Cards and letters poured in from Wilson County and throughout the country. 

“To know that people still care and that people still want justice for Cannon means a lot,” mother Bonny Parker told Times reporter Olivia Neeley for a story on Friday’s front page. 

Wilson has taken Cannon’s family under its wing. We all mourn the child’s senseless killing and wish his young siblings — Carly, Ava and 2-year-old brother Bryson — God’s peace and comfort as they keep Cannon’s memory alive. 

THUMBS DOWN to the scammers who prey on lonely hearts by luring people into online relationships and pressuring them to send money. North Carolina residents lost at least $3.1 million to sweetheart scams in 2020, according to Attorney General Josh Stein. 

People posing as the perfect mate often target senior citizens on dating and social networking sites. Making excuses to avoid talking on the phone or videochatting is a warning sign, Stein wrote, particularly when combined with sob stories and pleas for cash. Because the swindlers often live out of state or overseas, recovering victims’ money and prosecuting perpetrators proves difficult. 

Authorities say singles should be on guard for catfishing and sweetheart scams. Those who believe they’ve been duped can call the N.C. Department of Justice at 1-877-5-NO-SCAM or visit www.ncdoj.gov/complaint.

THUMBS UP to the Eyes on Main Street Outdoor Photo Festival, which was recently awarded two prestigious grants with a combined value of up to $30,000. 

Wilson’s downtown photo tour will receive $15,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts to restart the Eyes on Main Street residency program and $10,000 from the Raleigh-based Anonymous Trust Foundation, founder and artistic director Jerome De Perlinghi told Times reporter Drew C. Wilson. 

The foundation is offering an extra $5,000 as a challenge grant that will be unlocked if local boosters match the sum. We’re confident Wilson will come through for Eyes on Main Street, and we congratulate De Perlinghi on the well-deserved recognition from two prominent grantmakers.