Topics Related to Juvenile Justice

Sizzling sounds and delightful smells filled the air at Cumberland Juvenile Detention Center on Jan. 20, as the facility hosted its inaugural Junior Chef Competition finale. Pitting two juvenile chefs in a three-round, head-to-head competition, the event was the culmination of a months-long Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention pilot program designed to teach culinary skills and life lessons. 

In 2017, when North Carolina joined a growing number of states in raising the age of juvenile jurisdiction to include 16- and 17-year-olds, the Division of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention entered new territory. From the outset, it was clear that Raise the Age would have profound impacts, not just for the youth of our state, but for the state’s criminal justice system as a whole. 

When the Juvenile Justice Reinvestment Act went into effect in 2019, the Division of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention faced a new challenge. With 16- and 17-year-old offenders no longer automatically charged in the adult criminal justice system, JJDP facilities needed a new type of programming to better serve this growing population.

An internship is a great way for someone to determine a career path. Sometimes the internship “path” can take one on a different route to the same job as others.

According to Leanna Sartwell, the

It’s hard to imagine a child who’s never experienced the smell of a forest while standing in the middle of a host of majestic trees swaying in the breeze; never experienced the sound of lake waves lapping onto the shore; or felt the joy of overcoming a fear of heights in front of their peers.

That’s the case with many juveniles housed in state youth development centers or juvenile detention centers. However, for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began, more than 40 juveniles enjoyed (some for the first time) a camping experience at Camp Willow Run in Littleton during the week of May

How many college interns can say their projects can leave a lasting impact on future youth as they re-enter society after spending time in the state juvenile justice system? Hannah Ridgeway and Julia Husk can say a definitive “Yes,” though neither gave that much of a thought during their recent internship with the Community Programs section of the Division of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

Second chances are important for both adults and juveniles who have been involved in the criminal justice system. One way the Division of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention helps to prepare juveniles to reenter their home communities is the Reentry to Resilience (R2R) model, created from a pilot project between the DJJDP, Communities in Schools NC, and RTI International.

Juvenile court counselors from New Hanover County (District 5) helped organize and participated in a joint staff and youth day with the New Hanover County “Elements” team at the Coastal Horizons Center rope course.

The National Alliance of Black School Educators has selected Juvenile Justice Student Transition Counselor Dr. Michael Tyrone Williams as the 2021 W.E.B. DuBois Higher Education Award recipient. Dr. Williams will receive the award at the NABSE annual conference Nov. 13 in Los Angeles. 

"I am both honored and humbled to have been selected to receive this award,” said Dr. Williams. “It has been one of several factors which remind me that the only limits we have are the limits we place on ourselves."