LEGAL GUIDE
Written by attorney George Wilmarth Nickel III | Nov 24, 2019
By George Wilmarth Nickel III
Nov 24, 2019
When can juveniles be charged as adults in North Carolina?
Juveniles are automatically charged as adults for any crime they allegedly commit at age 18 or older. North Carolina has previously been the only remaining state to treat 16 and 17 year-olds like adults for criminal purposes but with Raise the Age that changed on December 1, 2019. So in North Carol
What about juveniles aged 16 and 17 who are charged with a traffic offense?
Raise the Age doesn’t apply to traffic citations. So if you are a 16 or 17 year old driver you will still have to go to traffic court just like adults and are treated the same way.What about felony offenses for juveniles?
Juveniles who are age 13 or older who allegedly commit a felony may be “transferred” to adult criminal court, if a judge finds probable cause that the juvenile committed the offense and conducts a transfer hearing. If a judge finds probable cause that a juvenile who is 13 or older committed a Class A felony, such as first-degree murder, the judge must transfer the case to adult criminal court without a transfer hearing. Raise the Age now means that juveniles charged with H and I level felony charges will be dealt with in the juvenile justice system.
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