Justice Orr urges raising age for juvenile court, News and Observer

June 2011

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Justice Orr urges raising age for juvenile court, News and Observer (06.07.2011)

Former N.C. Supreme Court Justice Robert Orr and the former president of the N.C. Association of Chiefs of Police, Frank Palombo of New Bern, today called on lawmakers to pass legislation that would keep teenagers accused of minor crimes out of adult court. A pair of bill that would raise the age from 16 to 18 years old have languished since they were introduced in early April.

North Carolina is one of only two states that put juvenile suspects in the adult court system. Proponents of the bill, sponsored by Republican Rep. Marilyn Avila of Raleigh and Democratic Sen. Floyd McKissick of Durham, say raising the age limit would steer teenagers from a life of crime.

“This is a critical first step in making life a little better for a lot of kids who come out of tough circumstances,” Orr said at a news conference.

Avila called on childrens advocates to urge lawmakers to move the bills along. Thursday is the deadline for bills to cross from one chamber to another. HB 632 is in a House judiciary subcommittee, and SB 506 is in the Senate Rules Committee.