Before the Juvenile Justice Reinvestment Act (JJRA) was passed, the
criminal and juvenile laws of North Carolina treated youth who engaged
in criminal activity at ages 16 and 17 as adults.
It is this construct that changed on December 1, 2019, when the majority
of the JJRA's provisions took effect. Under the new law, processing of
nearly all offenses committed at ages 16 and 17 begins under juvenile
jurisdiction. While the vast majority of these cases are resolved under
juvenile jurisdiction, the most serious felony offenses committed at
ages 16 and 17 are governed by statutes, amended in 2021, that include
unique procedures for their transfer to superior court.
This guide outlines changes in the law that resulted from the JJRA and
subsequent related legislative changes, reflecting all legislative
changes through February 1, 2022. While it is not intended to serve as a
guide for all juvenile delinquency practice, background is provided to
inform discussion of areas of law that were amended in the JJRA.