~ North Carolina is Only One of Two States that Prosecutes All 16 and 17 Year Olds Automatically in Adult Criminal Court Every Year ~

(Raleigh, NC) – North Carolina remains one of only two states that continue to prosecute all 16- and 17-year-olds automatically as adults in the criminal justice system, without exception. Children incarcerated as adults in North Carolina have no right to rehabilitative programming, mentoring, counseling, or even an education. Evidence shows that youth who go through the adult system are more likely to commit more crime down the road, as permanent adult criminal records limit their opportunities.

Handling youth who commit minor crimes in the juvenile system improves public safety and eliminates unnecessary roadblocks to life success in the path of youth who are rehabilitated. Raising the age of juvenile court jurisdiction in NC is a moral, economic and smart on crime issue. In fact, legislation will be heard and voted on during the 2012 legislative session which begins on May 16, 2012.

Public opinion polling shows that the public strongly favors removing youth from adult criminal court. The most recent national poll, conducted by GBA Strategies was released in October, 2011, and it shows that eighty-nine percent of the public strongly favors rehabilitation and treatment approaches, such as counseling, education, treatment, restitution, and community service to help youth turn their lives around. Prosecuting youth as adults consistently produces the worst results, costing the community much more in real dollars in incarceration costs and future crime.

In its research, Action for Children estimates that 30,000 North Carolina kids are harmed because of this ineffective system. Of 16- and 17-year-olds, nearly 80 percent are accused of misdemeanors and another 18 percent are accused of low-level felonies (class F-1). Only 3 percent are accused of serious felonies (class A-E). Further, the overwhelming majority are first-time offenders at 67 percent.