The 2024 Annual Report issued by the North Carolina Division of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (DJJDP) contains descriptive info associated to the processing of instances within the juvenile justice system and using services that serve juveniles. Highlights embrace a notable improve in motor vehicle-related property offenses and elevated demand for capability in juvenile detention services. This submit explores these highlights. All the info included under comes from the 2024 Annual Report except in any other case famous.
Traits in Offenses Charged
Enhance in Breaking or Getting into and Larceny of Motor Automobiles
Desk 1 under exhibits the highest ten offenses contained in complaints acquired within the juvenile system in 2024. It contains each complete variety of complaints and the unduplicated variety of juveniles who have been topic to these complaints.
Desk 1. Prime Ten Delinquency Offenses Charged in 2024
Complaints
Juveniles
easy assault (M)
3,753
3138
break or enter a motorized vehicle (F)
3643
669
larceny of a motorized vehicle (F)
1789
682
larceny (M)
1692
988
easy affray (M)
1561
1431
resisting public officer (M)
1374
1215
disorderly conduct at college (M)
1181
1057
speaking threats (M)
1083
901
possession of handgun by minor (M)
1011
787
harm to actual property (M)
879
681
As proven within the desk, the misdemeanor cost of straightforward assault was essentially the most prevalent offense charged and concerned considerably extra juveniles than some other offense class. Solely two of the highest ten offense classes have been offenses that might be felonies if dedicated by an grownup. These felonies have been breaking or getting into a motorized vehicle and larceny of a motorized vehicle.
A comparability of the highest ten offenses charged in juvenile complaints in 2022, 2023, and 2024 reveals consistency throughout the sorts of offenses charged. See 2022 Annual Report and 2023 Annual Report for comparability knowledge. Comparability throughout these three years permits for consistency because the regulation associated to juvenile jurisdiction remained fixed between January 1, 2022 and December 1, 2024 (Class A – E felony offenses dedicated at ages 16 and 17 and their transactionally associated offenses have been faraway from unique juvenile jurisdiction starting on December 1, 2024, S.L. 2024-17 § 1). Solely eleven offenses have been included among the many ten most prevalent offenses charged throughout these three years. These eleven offenses have been the ten included within the 2024 Desk above and felony breaking or getting into.
Whereas there was relative consistency throughout essentially the most prevalent offense sorts, there was a notable improve within the prevalence of complaints alleging breaking or getting into a motorized vehicle and larceny of a motorized vehicle throughout the three years. Desk 2 under exhibits the variety of complaints associated to these expenses in 2022 – 2024.
Desk 2. Complaints Filed
2022
2023
2024
break or enter a motorized vehicle (F)
1646
2895
3643
larceny of a motorized vehicle (F)
945
1079
1789
Few Complaints Associated to Juveniles Underneath Age 10
The youngest age at which a toddler may be charged as a delinquent juvenile was modified starting with offenses dedicated on December 1, 2021. S.L. 2021-123 5.(b). Since that point, there’s solely delinquency jurisdiction for Class A – G felony offenses alleged to have been dedicated at ages 8 or 9. G.S. 7B-1501(7)c. If a juvenile is adjudicated delinquent for a kind of offenses and is charged with some other offense at age 8 or 9, there’s delinquency jurisdiction for that different offense. G.S. 7B-1501(7)d. In 2024 there have been solely two complaints filed statewide alleging {that a} juvenile was delinquent for an offense dedicated at age 8 and solely 4 complaints filed statewide alleging {that a} juvenile was delinquent for an offense dedicated at age 9.
Majority of Complaints Filed Had been for Minor Offenses
The Juvenile Code kinds delinquency offenses into the classes of minor, severe, and violent. G.S. 7B-2508(a). Class 1 via Class 3 misdemeanors are categorised as minor offenses. Class A1 misdemeanors and Class F – I felonies are categorised as severe offenses. Class A – E felonies are categorised as violent offenses.
In 2024 the bulk (52%) of juvenile complaints filed have been for minor offenses. Simply over a 3rd (37.6%) of juvenile complaints have been for severe offenses. Violent offenses comprised solely 6.6% of complaints filed. The remaining 3.8% of complaints have been for infractions and standing offenses (also referred to as undisciplined issues).
Elevated Demand for Juvenile Detention
Maybe essentially the most notable change documented within the 2024 Annual Report was the elevated demand for juvenile detention capability. As described within the 2024 Report, this demand was pushed largely by the amount and size of keep for minors whose instances have been being processed within the felony system.
There are two ways in which the case of somebody beneath the age of 18 may be processed within the felony justice system.
Some instances are excluded from juvenile jurisdiction. These instances start, and often finish, as felony issues. All Chapter 20 motorized vehicle offenses dedicated at ages 16 and 17 are excluded from juvenile jurisdiction. G.S. 7B-1501(7)b.1. This exclusion has been in place because the age of juvenile jurisdiction was raised to incorporate different offenses at ages 16 and 17 in 2019. S.L. 2017-57, §16D.4.(a). A second exclusion for offenses dedicated at ages 16 and 17 grew to become efficient starting with offenses dedicated on December 1, 2024. S.L. 2024-17 § 1. This exclusion contains all Class A – E felony offenses dedicated at ages 16 and 17 and any offenses which are transactionally associated to the Class A – E felony offense. G.S. 7B-1501(7)b.2. It’s attainable that instances associated to this second class of offenses may be shifted to the juvenile system via the elimination course of. G.S. 15A-960. Elimination requires a joint movement by the prosecutor and the protection lawyer.
Some instances start beneath juvenile jurisdiction and are moved to superior court docket for felony trial as an grownup via the switch course of. G.S. 7B-2200(a), (b), -2200.5(a),(b), -2203.
Whereas felony issues involving minors as defendants are ruled by felony regulation, the place of pretrial confinement for anybody beneath 18 is juvenile detention. G.S. 15A-521. Due to this fact, juvenile detention services home juveniles who’re beneath the jurisdiction of the juvenile court docket and minors who’re defendants in felony issues.
The 2024 Report explains that the typical size of keep in juvenile detention for minors who’re defendants in instances have been transferred to superior court docket was 200 days, up from a mean of 140 days in 2022. This compares to a 27-day common size of keep for juveniles who’re respondents in delinquency proceedings. The Report additionally states “[w]ith a 17% improve in admissions to juvenile detention since 2022, and a 43% improve within the felony court docket youth’s common size of keep, calls for on mattress capability have elevated.” 2024 DJJDP Annual Report, p. 17.
The 2024 Report additionally supplies a breakdown of the typical day by day inhabitants and capability of every facility for the 12 months. That breakdown exhibits that six state-operated detention services (Alexander, Cumberland, New Hanover, Pitt, Richmond Jenkins, and Wake) and three county-operated juvenile detention services (Durham, Guilford, and Madison) had a mean day by day inhabitants that was greater than their capability throughout 2024.
In keeping with the 2024 Report two new juvenile detention services opened in 2024. A brand new Rockingham facility contains 24 detention beds (and 12 Youth Improvement Middle beds for juveniles dedicated to DJJDP via a disposition in a delinquency matter). The Perquimans detention facility additionally opened in 2024 and has 24 beds.
If You Need Extra Data
The 2024 Annual Report contains many extra particulars from front-end Juvenile Crime Prevention Council programming to medical and academic providers offered by DJJDP. 5-year historic broad pattern knowledge particular to your jurisdiction may be accessed on the DJJDP web site at https://www.ncdps.gov/our-organization/juvenile-justice/datastatisticsreports/5-calendar-year-historical-trend. This knowledge is sortable by district or county. County-specific knowledge can also be obtainable within the County Databook offered by DJJDP at https://www.ncdps.gov/our-organization/juvenile-justice/research-and-reports#CountyDatabooks-5368.
