Vol. 17, No. 1 • November 2012

NC Foster and Adoptive Parent Association Supports "Raise the Age"

Today, children in North Carolina 16 years of age or older who break the law are automatically waived to adult court and subject to the same penalties as adults.

Only in North Carolina and New York are 16- and 17-year-olds hindered by an adult record for the rest of their lives--even for low-level offenses. Should stealing a bag of Doritos from a lunch line or Gatorade from a snack stand limit our youth's potential for the rest of their lives and increase their chances of becoming career criminals?

This outdated system leads to exactly what we don't want--North Carolina's kids' lives damaged by a permanent adult record. About 30,000 North Carolina kids are harmed because of our money-wasting, counter-productive system.

That's why the NC Foster and Adoptive Parent Association supports efforts to "Raise the Age" of juvenile jurisdiction from 16 to 18, so we can turn our kids into productive adults while holding them accountable and saving money for everyone.

Bipartisan bills to raise the age were filed in both the House and Senate during 2011. Thanks to legislative leadership, the raise the age bill was heard in the 2012 short session. Although proposed legislation to raise the age was approved by a state House Judiciary committee, it languished in the House Appropriations Committee and is now in the hands of an "implementation commission." This means that for now North Carolina's 16- and 17-year-olds--no matter the circumstances of the offense--continue to be prosecuted in adult criminal court.

Help the NC Foster and Adoptive Parent Association and its partners right this wrong. Tell your legislator to Raise the Age! To learn more about the Raise the Age effort, visit http://www.ncchild.org/issue/safety/main-area-of-work/raise-age-keep-children-out-adult-system.

 

~ Family and Children's Resource Program, UNC-CH School of Social Work ~