| Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Officers have seen a | | | | fingerprinted or photographed. |
| tremendous spike in crimes committed by juveniles. | | | | Here is the kicker... the Mecklenburg County Jail has 30 |
| However, the courts are not holding these kids | | | | beds available for juvenile boys and 0 beds for juvenile |
| accountable for their behavior. If you think the adult | | | | girls. (A juvenile bed would be for any youthful |
| criminal justice system is bad, the North Carolina | | | | offender under the age 16.) |
| juvenile criminal justice system is far worse! | | | | Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Stephens spoke to |
| The juvenile court system was one of the topics we | | | | the Charlotte City Council on January 2, 2007 about |
| discussed with lawmakers in Raleigh last week. The | | | | the juvenile justice system in Mecklenburg County. He |
| state is responsible for funding the Department of | | | | made it quite clear we have a serious disconnect in |
| Juvenile Justice; which includes the juvenile courts, | | | | the juvenile system and these kids are getting away |
| programs and jails. If you read the following information, | | | | with it since the justice system doesn't punish them. |
| you will understand why this is such a serious issue in | | | | The following is what Chief Stephens told the City |
| Charlotte and across the state of North Carolina. | | | | Council: |
| CMPD Juvenile Arrest Stats (2006): | | | | "It is very difficult to hold a young person accountable |
| ► Charlotte-Mecklenburg police arrested 4,284 | | | | for almost any behavior that they engage in. If you |
| juveniles in 2006. | | | | steal a car, you are not likely to even see a judge in |
| ► 168 of the juvenile arrests were for robbery. | | | | Mecklenburg County about that. That is a divertible |
| ► 20% of the juvenile arrests are suspected | | | | offense. In fact, you can steal a whole bunch of cars |
| gang members. | | | | before you actually have any time before a judge or |
| ► 20% of the robberies arrests are associated | | | | before anything might potentially happen to you |
| with gang activity. | | | | through the juvenile justice system." |
| ► 4 juveniles were arrested for murder. | | | | "I think that there should never be a time that a child |
| ► 348 of the juvenile arrests were drug related. | | | | commits any kind of serious crime that there is not |
| ► 451 juveniles were arrested for charges of | | | | some kind of consequences for that. What we have in |
| murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault. | | | | our community in our state today is for the most part |
| ► 928 juveniles were arrested for burglary, | | | | there are no consequences until you get so far down |
| larceny, vehicle theft and arson. | | | | the road and so brazen and immune to the system |
| ► Most juvenile crimes are committed between | | | | that you are pretty much a lost soul by the time you |
| the hours of 3:00-4:00pm on school days. | | | | get to the point where you qualify for any kind of |
| ► When juveniles are arrested and taken to a | | | | intervention that has any consequences or any kind of |
| detention center, they are not and can not be | | | | meaning to it. |