New: I Kare NC Releases 2025 Annual Impact Report
We’re proud to share the 2025 Annual Impact Report highlighting I Kare NC’s work to support justice-impacted youth across North Carolina.
This year’s report focuses on our Rockingham Youth Development Center pilot, where weekly mentorship and conflict resolution sessions helped youth build emotional regulation, strengthen relationships, and reduce behavioral incidents.
🔍 Key Highlights:
- 100% of participating youth reported improved relationships
- 75% felt more confident seeking positive role models
- Emotional well-being scores showed increased hope, calm, and motivation
- Anger and stress decreased significantly after just 8 weeks
“Even in secure settings, youth are hungry for connection, support, and a different future.”
Our data and stories from the field show what’s possible when young people are met with mentorship, trauma-informed care, and healing-centered support. With continued partnership, we’re ready to expand this model across additional facilities and schools in 2026.
📘 View the Full 2025 Impact Report
Thank you to all our funders, partners, and supporters for helping us disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline — and build real pathways to healing and hope.
I Kare NC and Autism Society of North Carolina Lead Training for NC DAC Clinical Staff in Raleigh
Date: October 8, 2025
Raleigh, NC — I Kare NC Executive Director Cierra Cobb and Program Manager Cindy Tate joined forces with the Autism Society to deliver a training session for North Carolina Department of Adult Correction (NC DAC) clinical staff.
The training focused on enhancing understanding of autism within correctional settings, promoting effective communication, and developing trauma-informed, inclusive practices for individuals with neurodiverse needs.
This event highlights I Kare NC’s continued efforts to build partnerships that strengthen the intersection of behavioral health and justice reform in North Carolina.
Photo: Participants from I Kare NC, Autism Society of NC, and NC DAC at the Raleigh training.
I Kare NC is proud to announce that its Executive Director, Cierra Cobb, has been appointed to serve on the newly established North Carolina Gang Prevention and Intervention Task Force, created under Governor Josh Stein’s Executive Order No. 21.
The Task Force brings together leaders from across law enforcement, public health, community organizations, and advocacy groups to address the root causes of gang involvement and develop evidence-based strategies for prevention, intervention, and reentry support.
Cobb, a dedicated advocate for justice transformation, mentorship, and youth empowerment, leads I Kare NC in its mission to reduce incarceration, build safer communities, and create opportunities for at-risk youth. Her lived experience, combined with years of leadership and community engagement, uniquely positions her to ensure that the voices of youth, families, and directly impacted communities are represented in state-level decision making.
“Being selected to serve on this Task Force is more than an honor—it’s a responsibility,” said Cobb. “North Carolina has an opportunity to not only address gang involvement, but to invest in the futures of our youth through mentorship, education, and community-led solutions. I am grateful to serve alongside others who share this vision.”
The Task Force will advise the Governor’s Crime Commission and the Office of Violence Prevention, providing recommendations to strengthen public safety, expand youth alternatives, and reduce violence across the state.
I Kare NC Announces New Partnership with Rockingham County Youth Detention Center
I Kare NC is proud to announce a formal partnership with the Rockingham County Youth Detention Center to expand skill-building and healing-centered supports for court-involved youth. Together, we will deliver evidence-informed conflict resolution training, mentorship, and reentry readiness supports designed to help young people stabilize now and succeed when they transition home or to new placements.
Through this partnership, I Kare NC facilitators and lived-experience mentors will:
- Lead interactive conflict resolution workshops that build emotional regulation, communication, and problem-solving skills
- Provide small-group and one-to-one mentorship focused on self-advocacy, goal setting, and accountability
- Coordinate post-program touchpoints and referrals to community resources to support school re-engagement, employment, and family connection
The collaboration reflects a shared commitment: equip youth with practical tools, positive relationships, and real pathways to opportunity. Programming will launch on-site this fall, with ongoing feedback loops from youth participants and facility staff to continuously improve impact.
“We’re honored to partner with Rockingham County Youth Detention Center,” said I Kare NC Executive Director Cierra Cobb. “Young people deserve spaces that teach skills, not just impose sanctions. This partnership invests in their futures, and our community’s safety and well-being.”
To get involved as a volunteer mentor or supporte
Shining a light on the truth behind the walls. The Black Light Mass Incarceration Show gives voice to the incarcerated and their families, exposing the real impact of mass incarceration through raw stories, lived experiences, and urgent conversations.
🎙️ New episodes streaming on all major platforms
📺 Watch on YouTube: @BlackLightMassIncarcerationSho
Have a loved one incarcerated or a powerful story to share? Please send us an email at [email protected]
Burden of high prices behind bars in NC
The article highlights the financial burden families face due to the rising cost of essential items in North Carolina prison canteens, compounded by inflation outside prison walls. Cierra Cobb, whose husband is incarcerated at Maury Correctional Institution, must choose between funding his basic needs or communication access, a dilemma shared by many with loved ones behind bars. Essential items like toothpaste, denture adhesive, and even food have seen drastic price hikes, leaving incarcerated individuals and their families struggling to keep up. While the Department of Adult Correction attributes rising costs to inflation, critics argue that high markups and profit-driven practices unfairly shift the financial burden to families. Prison commissary profits have significantly increased and are legally directed to inmate welfare programs, but advocates like the Prison Policy Initiative argue that the state—not families—should fund these services.
Cierra Cobb attended pretrial hearings on evidence in Warren County on behalf of Mr. Kearney's family in preparation for his January 2022 capital trial.
Lester's family provided Cierra with these first-hand accounts:
Lester's mother, Doris Lashley
Lester was a mischievous child, very smart, and loving. He was a good boy. I didn't have a lot of trouble with him when he was a child, no more than most boys do.
It saddens me that [this trial] is taking place. Every day we get up and smile, trying to live a normal life, knowing that these people are trying to take my child from me, and not only will they take him away from me, but actually will put him to death. I can describe it as a mother who has miscarried or lost a child. It leaves an empty feeling