Prosecutors, police want to give some young offenders a second chance

Prosecutors and police in Charlotte say it's time to give some teenage criminals a second chance instead of a criminal record, and a new survey shows that most people in Mecklenburg County agree. 

"Hanging that first felony on a 16- or 17-year-old really is not going to help us solve the problem we're trying to solve," said Deputy Chief Kerr Putney.

Putney is a driving force behind the plan that will identify about 100 young offenders and select between 20 and 25 of them for the deferred prosecution program.

The program has strict guidelines. Offenders have to be between 16 and 17, have no previous criminal record and be charged with a non-violent offense like breaking and entering. They would have to agree to wear an electronic monitor and not commit any other crimes for two years.  In exchange, prosecutors would drop the charges.

"Before we put the first felony on them we want to try to do the right thing. If not, they go into the system and deal with the consequences," Putney said.

The county's top prosecutor agrees.

"We can't throw everybody in jail. We don't have the resources," Andrew Murray said. 

He has agreed to support the plan as long as the teenagers are able to pay restitution to their victims.

Preliminary results of a county-wide survey show that most people in Mecklenburg County agree. The survey, taken between Jan. 23 and Feb. 10, showed that 77 percent of those answering said they would be in favor of a deferred prosecution program for those teenagers, while 20 percent were opposed.

One of them is Marcus Philemon, the founder of Charlotte Mecklenburg's Court Watch.

"We're about holding criminals accountable in Mecklenburg County," Philemon said. 

He said limiting the program to first offenders helps, but his organization will still be watching to see how the program works.