Did You Know?

  • In 2024, more complaints for more juveniles were received compared to 2023 (15,485 juveniles and 40,433 complaints in 2024 compared to 15,353 juveniles and 39,341 complaints in 2023). While juvenile and complaint counts went up in 2024, the delinquency rate declined slightly because the net population of youth in NC ages 8 through 17 increased by 65,456.
  • The statewide delinquency rate for the juvenile justice system in 2024 was 28.3 per 1,000 youth, down from 28.8 in 2023.
  • In 2024, 28% of complaints received were for school-based offenses, marking the second consecutive year of decline. The percentage of total complaints that are school based was typically between 41-45% prior to 2020. 2017 legislation authorized Chief District Court judges to convene School Justice Partnerships in each district. 
  • Detention admissions increased 38% since 2020; however, length of stay increased 56% since 2020 due to youth transferring to superior court staying in detention longer (200 days on average, up from 177 in 2023). For the fifth year in a row, detention average daily population exceeds the youth development center average daily population.
  • 97.7% of juveniles committed to a youth development center have at least 1 mental health diagnosis. Youth committed to YDCs had an average of four (4.2) distinct mental health and/or substance use disorder diagnoses, and in some cases as many as eleven. 
  • The number of youth aged 16 or older served by Juvenile Crime Prevention Council programs increased 76% from fiscal year 2020 to 2024 (from 3,869 to 6,666).
  • The total number of juvenile complaints in North Carolina increased 26% in the eleven-year period between 2013 and 2024 (from 32,091 to 40,434) which spans from a system that did not include 16- and 17- year olds to a system that does include NC’s 16 and 17-year-olds.
  • The top three delinquent offenses in 2024 for which complaints were received were simple assault, break/enter a motor vehicle, and larceny of a motor vehicle.
  • The majority (52 percent) of juvenile offenses in 2024 were for minor offenses, class 1-3 misdemeanors. Offenses in this class include, but are not limited to, simple asault, disorderly conduct, simple affray, larceny (items worth less than $1,000), shoplifting, etc.
  • A large proportion of juvenile delinquent offenses (19%) occur between noon and 4 p.m. during the weekdays.
  • In 2024, there were 3,036 admissions to detention, 6 percent fewer than ten years prior, in 2014. Detention admissions increased 3% since 2023.
  • There were 179 YDC commitments in 2024, representing an 11% decrease since 2014, and a 1% increase since 2023 when there were 177 commitments.
  • Throughout 2024, YDCs had an average daily population of 190 youth, and the average length of time a youth is in commitment status is 14.2 months, and increase from 12.4 month in 2023.
  • Juveniles receive a complaint for simple assault more than any other delinquent offense. 
  • In 2024, 5.9 percent of all juveniles assessed were identified as having gang involvement, association, or membership, down nearly 1% from 6.7% in 2023.
     

 


 

 


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