Raise the Age: Keep Children Out of the Adult System

Action for Children advocates for all minors (under age 18) charged with a crime to start in the juvenile justice system, with judges retaining their current authority to transfer youth to the adult system for any felony.

Action for Children and its partners are committed to ensuring the safety of our communities, North Carolina is one of only two states in the nation that prosecute all 16- and 17-year-olds charged with a crime in the adult criminal justice system, regardless of the severity of their alleged crimes.while fostering positive development, so that the youth of today can become healthy, productive adults of tomorrow. We advocate for developmentally appropriate, research-based services and treatment for court-involved minors, including 16- and 17-year-olds.

North Carolina is one of only two states in the nation that prosecute all 16- and 17-year-olds charged with a crime in the adult criminal justice system, regardless of the severity of their alleged crimes.

New research and data make it clear that our juvenile justice system is the right place to serve juveniles, reserving adult courts for the most serious, chronic and violent offenders. The juvenile system provides age-appropriate adjudication, services, treatment and punishment while giving youth time to grow up and mature. The time has come for North Carolina to re-evaluate state law in light of the most recent scientific research and data and to ensure 16- and 17-year-olds receive developmentally appropriate services and treatment.

Bipartisan bills to raise the age have been filed in both the House and Senate during the current (2011) session of the General Assembly: HB 632 and SB 506.

What Can You Do to Help?

Current RTA Campaign Activities

Sign on to the Raise the Age Petition: Tell North Carolina’s leaders that it’s time to join the rest of the country by reading and signing on to the Raise the Age Petition. Tell them to throw out this nearly 100-year-old law and put 16- and 17-year-olds in the juvenile justice system, where they can be treated, rehabilitated, educated, counseled, and prepared for a successful life.

Share these 30 second videos with your friends via email, Facebook, Twitter, etc. The first video is about Cydney, who was arrested for a fight at school and now has a permanent record. The second video outlines how the juvenile system is actually tougher on crime and more successful at rehabilitation.

Click here to see a video of Durham youth organization Spirit House performing poetry on juvenile justice issues at 2011 Children's Advocacy Day.
Click here to see videos from the June 2011 Raise the Age press conference with Representative Marilyn Avila (R-Wake), Senator Floyd McKissick (D-Durham), Police Chief Frank Palombo of New Bern, and Justice Bob Orr.

Learn More: Read these fact sheets on raising the age of juvenile court jurisdiction and share them with your friends, family and state legislators. Contact us if you would like more information: brandy@ncchild.org.
North Carolina Youth in the Adult Criminal Justice System | An Infographic
Raise the Age: Facts about HB 632/SB 506
Raise the Age for Youth Accused of Minor Offenses
Raise the Age: Most Youth are First-Time Offenders
Raise the Age: Get RIGHT on Crime
Raise the Age: Juvenile Justice System Tougher on Youth than Adult System
Raise the Age to Improve Public Safety
Raising the Age Makes Good Economic Sense
Raise the Age to Strengthen Education
Raise the Age: Adolescent Brain Development
Foster Grassroots Support: Action for Children and partners will be working during 2010 to move this issue forward by building a grassroots movement across the state, with an eye toward passing legislation in 2011. Help get your community behind raising the age by contacting Brandy Bynum at brandy@ncchild.org.

Share Your Story: We need to hear from North Carolina’s youth, young adults and families affected by the juvenile and/or adult criminal justice systems. In partnership with the Covenant with North Carolina’s Children, Action for Children will conduct a “Youth Speak” initiative to collect and disseminate to legislators and other key officials the stories of youth and young adults impacted by N.C.’s treatment of 16- and 17-year-olds as adults. Please contact brandy@ncchild.org to share your story.

Regional Community Forums were held during Fall/Winter 2010/2011:

Charlotte: Monday, October 11; 11:30 am - 1:00 pm; Children & Family Services Center Training Rooms, 601 East 5th Street
Winston-Salem: Saturday, October 16; 10:00 am - 12:30 pm; The Gathering Place, 601 North Cherry Street
Durham: Saturday, October 23; 2:00-5:00 pm; Durham Public Library, 300 North Roxboro Street
Wilmington: Monday, October 25; 5:30-7:30 pm; Wilmington Downtown Library, 210 Chestnut St.
Asheville: Thursday, October 28; 5:30-7:00 pm; offices of Western Carolinians for Criminal Justice, 218 Patton Avenue
Fayetteville: Friday, February 11, 12-2 pm at Fayetteville State University, Rudolph Jones Student Center, Olivia Chavis Multipurpose Room (Rm 236).
Wilson: Saturday, February 19, 3-5 pm at Reid Street Community Center, 901 Reid Street East, Wilson, NC 27893

5K Walk/Run for Juvenile Justice Awareness in Greensboro: Saturday, October 23; 8:00 am; Country Park, 3905 Nathanael Green Dr., Greensboro NC

Youth Accountability Planning Task Force and the Joint Legislative Commission on Dropout Prevention and High School Graduation Legislative also held Public Hearings in Fall/Winter 2010/2011:

ASHEVILLE: Wednesday, November 17^th 6-8pm, NC Aboretum, 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way, Asheville, NC 28806-9315
ROCKY MOUNT: Tuesday, December 7, 6:00-8:00 pm, Imperial Centre, Studio Theatre, 270 Gay Street, Rocky Mount

Upcoming RTA Campaign Activities

Check back soon!

Legislative Information:

THANK YOU to everyone who has advocated to raise the age of juvenile court jurisdiction in NC from 16 to 18 for youth accused of minor crimes. Thanks to your action, bi-partisan support for the issue has never been stronger. A bill has been entered that will be heard in May 2012. We'll update you on its progress and call on you to advocate again. If you haven't yet signed the petition, please do so now!

Background: During the 2008 legislative session, Action for Children and its partners advocated for the development of a comprehensive plan to phase 16- and 17-year-old children into the juvenile justice system with adequate resources so that they can receive a developmentally appropriate, research-based continuum of services. The 2008-09 state budget allocated $200,000 for the Governor's Crime Commission to study this issue.

During the 2009 legislative session, Action for Children and partners continued our work on HB 1414 (Youth Accountability Act) to bring 16- and 17-year-olds into the juvenile justice system. The Youth Accountability Act was not passed this session; however, the task force portion of the bill was included in the 2009-2010 budget as a special provision.

The final 2009-10 budget established the Youth Accountability Planning Task Force, a group of legislators, juvenile justice department officials and judicial representatives who have been working for 18 months to create an implementation plan for moving youth from the adult system to the juvenile system. The task force recommended in January 2011 that youth under age 18 accused of minor crimes should be handled in the juvenile justice system, while 16- and 17-year-olds accused of serious felonies should remain in the adult system. Click here to see the Task Force's final report. For more information on the Youth Accountability Task Force, please visit www.ncdjjdp.org/taskforce.html

In January 2011, Governor Perdue issued an executive order extending the Youth Accountability and Planning Task Force until 2012 so that the group can continue their work. Bipartisan bills to raise the age were filed in both the House and Senate during the 2011 session of the General Assembly: HB 632 and SB 506. Thanks to the work of our legislative sponsors, Raise the Age will be heard next session, in May 2012.