JJAC Recommendations

To implement the change in the age of juvenile jurisdiction the Juvenile Jurisdiction Advisory Committee's (JJAC) 2019 interim report recommends legislative changes to existing law, including:

• clarification of the intent of motor vehicle offense language, to allow juveniles with a prior misdemeanor or infraction violation of motor vehicle laws other than DWI to be served in the juvenile justice system;
• moving youth detained in a juvenile facility for an offense adjudicated in the adult system to a local jail upon their 18th birthday;
• allowing for the court transfer of juveniles back to Juvenile Court upon joint motion of the prosecutor and defendant’s attorney, and expungement of any adult record;
• requiring a probable cause hearing within 90 days of the juvenile’s first court appearance.

Full list: Recommendations for legislative changes

The JJAC also listed in this report the resources necessary to fund the expanded juvenile population that will accompany that increase in the age of juvenile jurisdiction. Fiscal year 19-20 (recurring and non-recurring) costs for North Carolina’s entire juvenile justice system – encompassing the needs of the Juvenile Justice Section of the Department of Public Safety; Administrative Office of the Courts; Office of the Juvenile Defender; and Conference of District Attorneys – are approximately $65.9 million. These funds support:

• expanded programming and services in local communities, for dispositional alternatives for judges;
• the operation and associated capital costs of 300 new beds for detention;
• expanded staffing across the Juvenile Justice Section;
• additional electronic monitoring and juvenile transport resources;
• expanded availability and access to vocational services for confined youths;
• added judges, district attorneys, legal assistants and deputy clerks, along with an additional juvenile defender and juvenile court resource prosecutor.

Full list: Resource/funding needs

The following organizations/entities have endorsed the Juvenile Jurisdiction Advisory Committee’s recommendations, including fully funding “Raise the Age” implementation. Additionally, local decision-making authorities such as county Boards of Commissioners have begun issuing resolutions in support of funding “Raise the Age” implementation; specifically, funding expansion of Juvenile Crime Prevention Council dollars to provide community-based programming and diversion options to schools, furthering school safety and reducing recidivism. Resolutions have already been received from the counties listed here.