RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — We’re getting an update from state leaders on how a law is changing the lives of many North Carolinians.
The law lowers when teenagers could be tried as adults for certain crimes.
In 2017, the ”Raise the Age” law took effect, requiring nonviolent crimes for those under 18 to be held in juvenile court.
The State’s Deputy Secretary of Juvenile Justice William Lassiter said the law has saved thousands of kids, allowing them to put their previous crimes behind them and move on with their lives.
"That means they had a felony on their record for the rest of their lives, it made it hard for them to get jobs, it made it hard for them to get into college, it made it hard for them to get employment. Those young people now get a second chance,” Lassiter said.
DPS’ Juvenile Jurisdiction Advisory Committee has successfully pushed for more than a dozen pieces of legislation involving "Raise the Age.”
The committee met for the final time Friday, but Lassiter tells CBS 17 the department and state leaders know there are plenty of changes in the system and they’ll keep working to find solutions.
"We're going to continue to have folks meet on these issues and make sure we're moving those issues forward and the governor is also putting together a committee looking at racial equity in the criminal justice system,” Lassiter said.
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