The 2024 Annual Report issued by the North Carolina Division of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (DJJDP) includes descriptive information related to the processing of cases in the juvenile justice system and the use of facilities that serve juveniles.  Highlights include a notable increase in motor vehicle-related property offenses and increased demand for capacity in juvenile detention facilities. This post explores these highlights. All the data included below comes from the 2024 Annual Report unless otherwise noted.

Trends in Offenses Charged

Increase in Breaking or Entering and Larceny of Motor Vehicles

Table 1 below shows the top ten offenses contained in complaints received in the juvenile system in 2024. It includes both total number of complaints and the unduplicated number of juveniles who were subject to those complaints.

As shown in the table, the misdemeanor charge of simple assault was the most prevalent offense charged and involved significantly more juveniles than any other offense category. Only two of the top ten offense categories were offenses that would be felonies if committed by an adult. Those felonies were breaking or entering a motor vehicle and larceny of a motor vehicle.

A comparison of the top ten offenses charged in juvenile complaints in 2022, 2023, and 2024 reveals consistency across the kinds of offenses charged. See 2022 Annual Report and 2023 Annual Report for comparison data. Comparison across these three years allows for consistency as the law related to juvenile jurisdiction remained constant between January 1, 2022 and December 1, 2024 (Class A – E felony offenses committed at ages 16 and 17 and their transactionally related offenses were removed from original juvenile jurisdiction beginning on December 1, 2024, S.L. 2024-17 § 1). Only eleven offenses were included among the ten most prevalent offenses charged across those three years. Those eleven offenses were the ten included in the 2024 Table above and felony breaking or entering.

While there was relative consistency across the most prevalent offense types, there was a notable increase in the prevalence of complaints alleging breaking or entering a motor vehicle and larceny of a motor vehicle across the three years. Table 2 below shows the number of complaints related to those charges in 2022 – 2024.

Few Complaints Related to Juveniles Under Age 10

The youngest age at which a child can be charged as a delinquent juvenile was changed beginning with offenses committed on December 1, 2021. S.L. 2021-123 5.(b). Since that time, there is only delinquency jurisdiction for Class A – G felony offenses alleged to have been committed at ages 8 or 9. G.S. 7B-1501(7)c. If a juvenile is adjudicated delinquent for one of those offenses and is charged with any other offense at age 8 or 9, there is delinquency jurisdiction for that other offense. G.S. 7B-1501(7)d. In 2024 there were only two complaints filed statewide alleging that a juvenile was delinquent for an offense committed at age 8 and only four complaints filed statewide alleging that a juvenile was delinquent for an offense committed at age 9.

Majority of Complaints Filed Were for Minor Offenses

The Juvenile Code sorts delinquency offenses into the categories of minor, serious, and violent. G.S. 7B-2508(a). Class 1 through Class 3 misdemeanors are classified as minor offenses. Class A1 misdemeanors and Class F – I felonies are classified as serious offenses. Class A – E felonies are classified as violent offenses.

In 2024 the majority (52%) of juvenile complaints filed were for minor offenses. Just over a third (37.6%) of juvenile complaints were for serious offenses. Violent offenses comprised only 6.6% of complaints filed. The remaining 3.8% of complaints were for infractions and status offenses (also known as undisciplined matters).

Increased Demand for Juvenile Detention

Perhaps the most notable change documented in the 2024 Annual Report was the increased demand for juvenile detention capacity. As described in the 2024 Report, this demand was driven in large part by the volume and length of stay for minors whose cases were being processed in the criminal system.

There are two ways that the case of someone under the age of 18 can be processed in the criminal justice system.

1. Some cases are excluded from juvenile jurisdiction. These cases begin, and usually end, as criminal matters. All Chapter 20 motor vehicle offenses committed at ages 16 and 17 are excluded from juvenile jurisdiction. G.S. 7B-1501(7)b.1. This exclusion has been in place since the age of juvenile jurisdiction was raised to include other offenses at ages 16 and 17 in 2019. S.L. 2017-57, §16D.4.(a). A second exclusion for offenses committed at ages 16 and 17 became effective beginning with offenses committed on December 1, 2024. S.L. 2024-17 § 1. This exclusion includes all Class A – E felony offenses committed at ages 16 and 17 and any offenses that are transactionally related to the Class A – E felony offense. G.S. 7B-1501(7)b.2. It is possible that cases related to this second category of offenses can be shifted to the juvenile system through the removal process. G.S. 15A-960. Removal requires a joint motion by the prosecutor and the defense attorney.
2. Some cases begin under juvenile jurisdiction and are moved to superior court for criminal trial as an adult through the transfer process. G.S. 7B-2200(a), (b), -2200.5(a),(b), -2203.

While criminal matters involving minors as defendants are governed by criminal law, the place of pretrial confinement for anyone under 18 is juvenile detention. G.S. 15A-521. Therefore, juvenile detention facilities house juveniles who are under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court and minors who are defendants in criminal matters.

The 2024 Report explains that the average length of stay in juvenile detention for minors who are defendants in cases have been transferred to superior court was 200 days, up from an average of 140 days in 2022. This compares to a 27-day average length of stay for juveniles who are respondents in delinquency proceedings. The Report also states “[w]ith a 17% increase in admissions to juvenile detention since 2022, and a 43% increase in the criminal court youth’s average length of stay, demands on bed capacity have increased.” 2024 DJJDP Annual Report, p. 17.

The 2024 Report also provides a breakdown of the average daily population and capacity of each facility for the year. That breakdown shows that six state-operated detention facilities (Alexander, Cumberland, New Hanover, Pitt, Richmond Jenkins, and Wake) and three county-operated juvenile detention facilities (Durham, Guilford, and Madison) had an average daily population that was more than their capacity during 2024.

According to the 2024 Report two new juvenile detention facilities opened in 2024. A new Rockingham facility includes 24 detention beds (and 12 Youth Development Center beds for juveniles committed to DJJDP through a disposition in a delinquency matter). The Perquimans detention facility also opened in 2024 and has 24 beds.

If You Want More Information

The 2024 Annual Report includes many more details from front-end Juvenile Crime Prevention Council programming to clinical and educational services provided by DJJDP. Five-year historical broad trend data specific to your jurisdiction can be accessed on the DJJDP website at https://www.ncdps.gov/our-organization/juvenile-justice/datastatisticsreports/5-calendar-year-historical-trend. This data is sortable by district or county. County-specific data is also available in the County Databook provided by DJJDP at https://www.ncdps.gov/our-organization/juvenile-justice/research-and-reports#CountyDatabooks-5368.