The Carolina Justice Policy Center, as one of the members of the Raise the Age Coalition, has worked for over a decade to raise the age of juvenile jurisdiction in North Carolina. Wednesday, March 8, 2017, we moved a giant step closer.
With 68 bi-partisan primary and co-sponsors, House Bill 280, entitled the Juvenile Justice Reinvestment Act, establishes that a 16- or 17-year-old that commits certain crimes will be tried as a juvenile – not as an adult. While the bill does include low level felonies, violent felonies and some drug offenses would still be tried in adult court for 16 and 17 year olds.
Republican U.S. Sen. Tillis, according to the News and Observer, offered his support of the proposed legislation and juvenile justice reform on Twitter.
CJPC is extremely proud of the work our organization has done to get this bill introduced. We will continue to keep you informed on the progress of the bill and let you know what YOU can do to be a part of this important movement towards juvenile justice reform!
Read more detailed information about the introduction of the bill and the history of NC Raise the Age.
