Did You Know?

  • Following the passage of modifications to juvenile justice provisions (S.L. 2024-17), 2025 was the first year since the passage of Raise the Age legislation in December 2019 in which 16- and 17-year-olds received adult criminal charges for A-E felonies rather than juvenile justice complaints. Moving these offenses—which accounted for 3,645 complaints in 2024, or 9% of all complaints—out of juvenile jurisdiction complicates direct comparisons to previous years.
  • In 2025, fewer North Carolina juveniles received fewer complaints than in 2024 (12,572 juveniles and 34,845 complaints in 2025, compared to 15,485 juveniles and 40,433 complaints in 2024).
  • The statewide delinquency rate in 2025 was 24.9 per 1,000 youth, down from 28.9 in 2024, and marking the lowest delinquency rate since 2021.
  • In 2025, 28% of complaints received were for school-based offenses (SBOs), the same percentage as in 2024. The percentage of total complaints that are school-based was typically 41%-45% before 2020; the proportion of SBOs in 2025 remains lower than the post-COVID peak of 34% in 2022.
  • Detention length of stay continues to increase, with an average stay of 40 days for all detention exits, with variations amongst types of stay:
    • Youth in detention transferring to superior court saw a 38% increase in average length of stay, from 200 days in 2024 to 276 days in 2025 (with an increase in median stay of 55%, from 146 days to 227 days in 2025).
    • Juvenile jurisdiction stays (that is, youth not in transfer status or in adult criminal court stay status) saw an average decrease of 2 days, from 27 in 2024 to 25 in 2025.
    • Youth under adult stay status had an average stay of 47 days.
  • 99% of juveniles committed to a Youth Development Center (YDC) have at least one mental health diagnosis. Youth committed to YDCs had an average of nearly five (4.7) distinct mental health and/or substance use disorder diagnoses, and in some cases as many as twelve.
  • The number of youths aged 16 or older served by Juvenile Crime Prevention Council programs increased 77% from fiscal year 2020 to 2025 (from 3,869 to 6,849).
  • The total number of juvenile complaints in North Carolina increased 18% in the ten-year period between 2015 and 2025 (from 29,542 to 34,845).
  • The top three delinquent offenses in 2025 for which complaints were received were breaking or entering a motor vehicle, simple assault, and larceny. This marks the first year breaking or entering a motor vehicle surpassed simple assault as the most common offense.
  • The majority (54%) of juvenile offenses in 2025 were for non-serious minor offenses (Class 1-3 misdemeanors). Offenses in this class include, but are not limited to, simple assault, disorderly conduct, simple affray, larceny (items worth less than $1,000), and shoplifting.
  • Detention admissions have increased 30% since 2020 and decreased 11% since 2015. There was a 5% decrease since 2024, with 2,876 admissions in 2025 versus 3,036 in 2024.
  • There were 162 YDC commitments in 2025, representing an almost 10% decrease since 2024, and a 25% decrease since 2015.
  • Throughout 2025, YDCs had an average daily population of 192 youth, only one more than 2024, while the average length of time a youth is in commitment status is 14.6 months, a four-month increase since last year.
  • Continuing the trend since 2020, the average daily population of detention centers (405 youth) exceeds the daily population of YDCs (192 youth)
  • In 2025, 5.2 percent of all juveniles assessed were identified as having gang involvement, association, or membership, down 0.7% since the previous year. This is the fourth straight year of gang involvement decline, from its historic high of 9.1% of justice-involved youth in 2021.
  • More than 12,000 youth completed a full Youth Assessment and Screening Instrument (YASI) assessment in FY 2024-2025. Most youth (57%) scored as being Very Low or Low needs; 21% had Moderate needs; 19% were High Moderate or High needs; and only 3% were in the Very High needs category.
  • For YASI risk scores, 45% of youth who completed a full assessment scored as Low Risk for re-offense, 40% as Moderate risk, and only 15% as High Risk, showing that risk of re-offense is relatively low for justice-involved youth.


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