RES-2017-033 Resolution in Support of Raising the Age of Juvenile Jurisdiction in NC and in Support of House Bill 280

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RES-2017-033 8� ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS A RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF RAISING THE AGE OF JUVENILE JURISDICTION IN NORTH CAROLINA AND IN SUPPORT OF HOUSE BILL 280 WHEREAS, House Bill 280, the "Juvenile Justice Reinvestment Act", would raise the age of juvenile jurisdiction to include 16- and 17-year-old youth, except in the case of certain felonies and motor vehicle laws; and WHEREAS, North Carolina is the only state in the United States that automatically prosecutes 16- and 17-year-old youth as adults,regardless of the severity of the crime; and WHEREAS, adolescents prosecuted in the juvenile justice system are less likely to commit another crime than are those tried in the adult system, which results in lower costs to society and more children growing up to become educated, employed individuals; and WHEREAS, evidence shows that the juvenile justice system, with programs tailored to how children think and learn, is more effective at rehabilitating youth, and research in neuroscience and psychology proves that brain development continues well into a person's 20s; and WHEREAS, although the juvenile crime rate has been declining in North Carolina, in 2014 alone, more than 17,000 misdemeanor charges were filed against 16- and 17-year-olds statewide; and WHEREAS, 96.7 percent of crimes committed by 16- and 17-year-olds in North Carolina in 2014 were either misdemeanors (80.4 percent) or nonviolent felonies (16.3 percent); and WHEREAS, even when charges are dismissed, there remain the long-term consequences of a public record that affect a young person's ability to be hired for a job, to be eligible for college financial aid, or to enlist in the military; and WHEREAS, the negative effects of the criminal justice system have a disproportionate impact on people of color; for example, African American youth make up two-thirds of the youth prosecuted in the adult system, are nine times more likely than white youth to receive an adult prison sentence, and are more likely to come into contact with the criminal justice system because of the school-to-prison pipeline; and WHEREAS, raising the age of juvenile jurisdiction will lead to long-term financial savings, safer communities, better academic results, and overall better outcomes for youth; and WHEREAS, in 2016, the North Carolina Commission on the Administration of Law and Justice under the leadership of Mark Martin, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina, made a recommendation in favor of raising the age of juvenile jurisdiction; and WHEREAS, the North Carolina Sheriffs' Association, the North Carolina Police Benevolent Association, the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners, the North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police, and the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce Legal Institute support raising the age of juvenile jurisdiction to include 16- and 17-year-olds; and