Concerns raised as lawmakers look to raise age of teens charged as adults

Many lawmakers in Raleigh said they're poised to raise the age of teens who are charged as adults.

If House Bill 280 passes, 16 and 17-year-olds who aren't charged with violent felonies will be sent to juvenile court instead of adult court.

If the bill becomes law, it will send an enormous shock through the court system because it would likely change what happens to 90 percent of the 16 and 17-year-olds who are jailed in Mecklenburg County.

"That would increase my caseload by approximately 300 to 400 youth and that would be over burdensome," said Juvenile Court Judge David Strickland.

Juvenile judges think the law could send an extra 1,300 teens into their courts. Their cases could double or even triple if the bill passes without enough funding.

"We would feel like we would have to rush through things because we have so many cases," said Strickland.

He hopes the bill will include a major funding component, so if needed, the county and state can hire more judges, clerks, probation officers and district attorneys to support the juvenile justice system.

"We spend a lot of time talking to our youth, talking our families trying to figure out what's going on," Strickland explained.

Strickland says they aim to keep teens out of jail by connecting them with art and athletic programs, such as the Arts Empowerment Project.

"Without the adequate support it would not possible to do the work that we do," said Natalie Frazier Allen, the CEO of the project.

Non-profits that help troubled teens say it's critical for lawmakers to make sure they have enough money before they reform juvenile justice system.

"Our program helps kids find their passion and their purpose and it's really important to have that kind of funding to support these extracurricular and engagement opportunities," said Allen.

While the courts and their partners are still analyzing how much funding they'll need, Judge Strickland said he is asking lawmakers not to leave the county scrambling to cover the enormous costs.

It's also important to note Mecklenburg County doesn't have a youth detention center. It's significant because if teens don't correct their behavior, under the new bill, judges would send them to a youth detention center.

Funding a new jail would likely require millions.

Cox Media Group