Mr. Lassiter plans and directs operations of the Division of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and serves as a member of the Department’s senior leadership team. As Deputy Secretary of Juvenile Justice, he oversees juvenile facility operations, juvenile court services, juvenile community programs, and juvenile intervention and treatment programs.
Mr. Lassiter received his master’s degree in public administration from North Carolina State University; and has spent his whole career working in juvenile justice and school safety and is devoted to creating safer schools and communities for all our state’s youth.
Lassiter has co-authored Preventing Violence and Crime in America’s Schools: From Put-Downs to Lock-Downs, which takes an in-depth look at the causes and solutions of youth violence. In 2025, Gov. Josh Stein appointed Lassiter to serve as co-chair of the Governor's Advisory Council for Student Safety and Well-Being, which is tasked with advancing North Carolina’s commitment to safe, welcoming and inclusive schools by proposing and implementing solutions to promote school safety and improve student physical, social and emotional well-being.
Lassiter also serves on several other boards and commissions including: the Governor’s Crime Commission and the Juvenile Justice Planning Committee. He is a past chair of the Task Force for Safer Schools (disbanded in 2024) and served on the Chief Justice’s Task Force on Trauma-Informed Courts and the Juvenile Jurisdiction Advisory Committee.
Mr. Lassiter was honored to receive the prestigious National Service Award from the Hamilton Fish Institute on School and Community Violence, for his exemplary service to children, youth, and communities. In 2020 he was named a Defender of Justice from the North Carolina Justice Center for his exemplary work on policy and research, which paved the way to North Carolina raising the age of juvenile jurisdiction.
Lassiter has been featured on a number of major news networks and national publications including CNN, Fox News, the BBC, USA Today, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, and many others.