Youth & Education State Policy

One of the most pressing legislation issues for youth in North Carolina is the Raise the Age Campaign

North Carolina is one of only two states in the nation that prosecute all 16- and 17-year-olds charged with a crime in the adult criminal justice system, regardless of the severity of their alleged crimes.
Raise the Age legislation was introduced for the 1st time in spring of 2011. Click here to learn more about the history of this piece of legislation.
Currently North Carolina's school-to-prison pipeline is even more accelerated than that of other states. Of the more than 30,000 minors in North Carolina’s adult system, 97% are accused of minor crimes.

Raising the age to 18 would make stories like that of Jaqwan a thing of the past. Click here to read Jaqwan's Story.
Raising the age makes good fiscal sense.
The Juvenile system focuses on rehabilitation and is stricter on youth than the adult system.

Contact Brandy Bynum via email at brandy@ncchild.org or phone at (919) 834-6623 ext 234