NCJ Number
240437
Date Published
2009
Length
227 pages
Annotation
This final report to the Governor and General Assembly of North Carolina presents the results of a study examining the impact of expanding jurisdiction of the Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
Abstract
This report presents the findings from a study on the impact of raising the age of juvenile court jurisdiction in North Carolina. Through the use of cost-benefit analysis, it was found that if 16 and 17 year-old persons were moved from the adult criminal system to the juvenile system and the juvenile system was enhanced with more evidence-based programs, the benefits to the criminal justice system would outweigh the costs by about $7.1 million; if the age change was done without the use of more evidence-based programs, the costs of the age change would outweigh the benefits by about $37.5 million. Additional findings from the study include the fact that persons who are arrested have a greater chance of receiving services and sanction in the juvenile system compared to the adult system, and first-time offenders in the juvenile system do not retain records of arrest and conviction, as is the case with first-time 16 and 17 year-old offenders in the adult system. The report also describes the implementation and action plan to be used for implementing the change to the age required for juvenile jurisdiction. The final sections of the report discuss the statutory implications of raising the age of juvenile jurisdiction in North Carolina, and present an overview of laws related to the sharing of juvenile information. Tables and appendixes