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New 'minimum age' law aims to keep young kids out of juvenile court

A new state law raises the lower age of juvenile jurisdiction from 6 to 10 for most youth. State officials say it will provide alternatives to taking a vulnerable juvenile to court. WFDD file photo.

New legislation is now on the books in North Carolina that juvenile justice advocates are calling historic. It increases the minimum age for when most children can enter the juvenile court system.

In North Carolina, a 6-year-old can no longer be seen in juvenile court for taking a candy bar from a checkout aisle. This is a real case that state officials say made its way into the system.

As of December 1, the new minimum age that most children will be prosecuted in juvenile court was raised from 6 to 10 years-old. There are some exceptions for serious violent felonies.

William Lassiter with the North Carolina Department of Public Safety says these children will be considered vulnerable, instead of delinquent juveniles.

"This law it really changes how we in the state of North Carolina should be viewing kids and treating kids and saying we want to give you a fighting chance to be successful and not hold you back by stigmatizing you or traumatizing you at a young age and throwing you into the criminal justice system,” says Lassiter.

Under the new law, younger children can no longer be put in detention, under probation or electronic home arrest. Instead, assessments will be conducted and alternative support services will be provided to help meet the child's needs. 

That could include mental health services, substance abuse counseling, or therapeutic foster care and other placements.

Lassiter says the changes mean that about 400 children will be removed yearly from the state juvenile justice system.

*Follow WFDD's Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news

Keri Brown is a multi-award winning reporter and host at 88.5 WFDD. She has been honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her stories about coal ash, and was named the 2015 radio reporter of the year by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC).Although she covers a variety of topics, her beats are environmental and education reporting.Keri comes to the Triad from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she served as the Chief Bureau Reporter for the Northern Panhandle. She produced stories for the state's Public Television and Radio programs and was honored by the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her feature and enterprise reporting.She also served as an adjunct instructor at Wheeling Jesuit University and Bethany College in West Virginia. She worked with the Center for Educational Technologies in Wheeling, WV, and other NASA centers across the country to develop several stories about the use of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts in the classroom.Keri's journalism career began at WTRF-TV 7 in Wheeling. She worked in several roles at the station, including the head assignment editor. She also was a field producer and assignment manager at WPGH-TV Fox 53 in Pittsburgh.Keri is a graduate of Ohio University. When she's not in the studio or working on a story, she enjoys watching college football with her family, cooking, and traveling.Keri is always looking for another great story idea, so please share them with her. You can follow her on Twitter @kerib_news.

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