Mecklenburg County leaders approve resolution to raise juvenile age

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Mecklenburg County commissioners approved Tuesday night in favor of a resolution to raise the juvenile age.

It’s a strong show of support for House Bill 280, the Juvenile Justice Reinvestment Act. It says 16-year-olds who commit crimes should no longer be charged as adults.

[LINK: House Bill 280]

North Carolina is the only state where when you turn 16, you are an adult in the eyes of the law.

Public defender Kevin Tully believes the state is long overdue for a change.

“To say the solution to lock up a sophomore for the rest of their life just so I feel safe is ludicrous,” Tully said.

Gemini Boyd is one of the speakers set to tell county commissioners that the juvenile age should be raised. He spent 20 years in prison on drug charges. He would not have benefited from the proposed changes, but said he wants to help others.

“Can you say that you have run into folks maybe that would have never got there had the system kept them as juveniles longer?” reporter Glenn Counts asked Boyd.

“Yes, of course. I ran across them even while I was in federal prison,” Boyd answered. “This is what society has to realize. When you’re 16, 15 years old, your brain is doing what? Developing.”

There are those who are opposed to raising the juvenile age.

Court Watch believes the juvenile justice system is a failed system and it doesn’t make any sense putting more people in there.

Read more top trending stories on wsoctv.com:

• Atlanta man, girlfriend reported missing in Belize found dead
• WATCH: Jimmy Kimmel reveals newborn son's heart defect in emotional monologue
• Missing York County 18-year-old girl found dead near creek, officials say
• VIDEO: Keith Monday's Tuesday forecast
• Snake bite calls to Carolinas Poison Center have quadrupled this year
• Raleigh restaurant workers allegedly sing anti-police song as officers eat

Cox Media Group