Re-evaluating Juvenile Justice In North Carolina

WUNC News | By Laura Pellicer,

Published March 16, 2017 at 12:24 PM EDT

A new bill in the North Carolina Legislature proposes changing the juvenile penal system to raise the age of adult prosecution for most offenses. The state is currently one of only two in the nation where 16 and 17 year olds are routinely charged as adults.

WUNC reporter Jess Clark talks about a new bill in the North Carolina Legislature that would keep 16 and 17 year olds from being charged as adults for non violent crimes.

State lawmakers have considered similar proposals in the past, but this new bill has garnered bipartisan support. Host Frank Stasio speaks with WUNC reporter Jess Clark about the state’s juvenile justice laws.

Laura Pellicer

Laura Pellicer is a producer with The State of Things (hyperlink), a show that explores North Carolina through conversation. Laura was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, a city she considers arrestingly beautiful, if not a little dysfunctional. She worked as a researcher for CBC Montreal and also contributed to their programming as an investigative journalist, social media reporter, and special projects planner. Her work has been nominated for two Canadian RTDNA Awards. Laura loves looking into how cities work, pursuing stories about indigenous rights, and finding fresh voices to share with listeners. Laura is enamored with her new home in North Carolina—notably the lush forests, and the waves where she plans on moonlighting as a mediocre surfer.

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Frank Stasio

Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.

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