Fewer juveniles being sent to
N.C. state prisons
Officials say they do not know why
numbers are down

Mon, May 13, 2002
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
GREENSBORO

Juveniles who commit serious crime are less likely to be sent to a state prison than they were a few years ago, according to a newspaper's analysis of state correction records.

The Greensboro News & Record reported yesterday that the number of prisoners younger than 18 had dropped 62 percent since 1995, from 452 to 173.

The decline has enabled correction officials to convert three of the state's six youth prisons into adult prisons over the past six months.

Correction officials are at a loss to explain the drop because the number of juveniles arrested since 1995 has increased about 1.5 percent.

"We don't really know why it has dropped," said Keith Acree, a spokesman for the N.C. Department of Correction.

"For some reason, courts just seem to be sending fewer of them to us."

Most juvenile criminals who would have been sent to prison a few years ago are instead being given community service or other types of lesser punishment.

And many are committing crimes again.

The N.C. Department of Juvenile Justice recently finished a study of 85 juveniles who committed felonies in 1999 but did not receive time in state prison.

About 42 percent had committed sex offenses, 23 percent committed robberies or burglaries, 20 percent committed assaults, and 4 percent committed arson.

Of the 85 juveniles studied, 19 were arrested again within three years - eight on felony charges and 11 for misdemeanors, the study showed.

Most state and local officials are not complaining about the drop in juvenile incarcerations.

Several officials argue that criminals under 18 or most other offenders with a short criminal history often deserve a chance at rehabilitation.

"I wouldn't say it is frustrating," said Assistant District Attorney Howard Neumann of Guilford County. "It's not our goal just to send everyone to prison."

Susan Katzenelson, the executive director of the N.C. Structured Sentencing Commission, agreed: "If a judge sees a 17-year-old in front of them, they will look at options."

Under state law, anyone 13 or older can be tried in Superior Court and, if convicted, sentenced to a state prison. Also, North Carolina is one of only three states that mandates 16- and 17-year-old criminals be tried as adults, so the state has more under-18 prisoners than all but three states - New York, Florida and Connecticut.

Juveniles sentenced to state prison are subject to the state's structured sentencing laws, which place heavy emphasis on prior convictions.

However, because criminals' juvenile records cannot be held against them in an adult court, most young criminals start with a clean slate and that means less prison time.

"Structured sentencing puts a clear emphasis on prior record," Katzenelson said.

"Most of these offenders ... don't have a prior record. That is probably the main reason for this."

Under juvenile laws passed in 1998, offenders convicted in juvenile court can be placed in a juvenile detention center until they turn 19, at which time they are released.

Before, they could be kept only until they were 18.

"Under today's law, we can get just as harsh a punishment under the juvenile code, or even more," Neumann said.