A blip or a trend? The number of NC minors committing violent crimes rose in 2022
READ MORE
Gun violence in North Carolina
As more North Carolina teens are killed by gunfire, more parents are plunged into nightmares with no escape.
Expand All
Gun violence is a growing cause of death for children in NC, task force study finds
As more NC teens die from gunfire, more parents plunge into nightmares with no escape
A blip or a trend? The number of NC minors committing violent crimes rose in 2022
NC legislation keeps guns on the streets to benefit our schools. Yes, really. | Opinion
Video: Family of gun violence victim mourns loss
Across North Carolina, the numbers of juveniles accused of murder, shootings and other violent crimes increased from 2021 to 2022, along with the number of alleged crimes.
The number of North Carolina youth charged with committing violent crimes, such as robberies, murders and shootings, rose 9% to 990 individuals, according to data obtained by The News & Observer.
The number of violent crime complaints, the equivalent to criminal charges in the adult system, against minors rose 21% to 2,213.
In most cases statewide, guns were involved. In the fiscal year that ended July 30, 2022, 65% of the cases where minors were arrested for violent crime offenses involved a firearm.
Across the state, youth nonviolent firearm offenses, such as possession of a handgun by a minor and larceny of a firearm, increased by 26% to 3,008.
Experts are cautious about interpreting the long-term implications of these numbers.
For one, it’s only been since Dec. 1, 2019 that state Juvenile Justice officials collected criminal charge data on all North Carolinians 17 and younger. That is when most 16- and 17-year-olds were moved from North Carolina’s adult prosecution system to the more rehabilitative Juvenile Justice system.
And, this uptick started during a pandemic that limited access to social services and shuttered schools while gun sales surged.
Still, experts in North Carolina are concerned. That includes William Lassiter, deputy secretary for the state Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention division.
“This is the canary in the coal mine,” Lassiter said about the 2021 increases. “Let’s take the steps we need to now to make sure this does not become a growing problem in our communities across the state of North Carolina.”
Surge in Wake youth violence?
In Wake County, 74% of the 187 violent offenses by youth 17 and under involved firearms in June 2021 to July 2022, up from 56% the previous fiscal year.
The number of youth in Wake accused of violent crimes doubled from 32 to 67 over that period. The number of offenses climbed from 71 to 187.
In Durham, the numbers of violent offenses rose slightly but the number of minors charged with violent crimes complaints fell by three to 37.
Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman said the uptick accompanies an increase in adult gun violence, a challenge many urban areas are dealing with.
Among Freeman’s concerns is that some adults push minors to use guns while committing crimes because they are less likely to face long prison terms.
“Almost as if in a calculation that because they would be prosecuted as juveniles that they should be the trigger man or the one actually armed committing the offense,” Freeman said.
“That, of course, is of grave concern.”
The increase in violent crime can’t be separated from struggles of some Raleigh families, said Diana Powell, who works with adults and youth facing criminal charges through her nonprofit Justice Served.
In Wake County, 4,747 students didn’t have stable housing in the 2021-22 school year, which is the highest it’s been over the past eight school years.
Powell said she’s heard of cases where a minor joined a gang to help move their family out of a storage unit or other temporary housing, Powell said.
“I think it is a public health issue,” she said. “There is no way you can raise a child in a hotel room.”
A national uptick
Across the nation, the number of youth 17 and under charged with homicide also jumped in 2020.
Since 1980, the number of youth charged with murder dropped significantly, falling to as low as 704 in 2013, before climbing slightly over the years.
In 2020, it jumped to 1,352 people. It hasn’t been that high number since 1998.
Also in 2020, the number of youth homicide victims increased 30% from 2019, the largest one year increase since at least 1980.
Melissa Sickmund, director for the National Center for Juvenile Justice, isn’t concerned about the overall uptick, she said, because it’s a little bump in an otherwise steep three-decade decline.
The overall rate of youth charged with murder has risen slightly since 2012 — its lowest point.
In 2012, 2.2 per 100,000 youth was charged with homicide compared to 2.8 in 2020.
But the number of minors charged with homicide in 2020 is concerning because of the prevalent use of firearms.
“It is mostly older kids and mostly firearms,” she said.
Virginia Bridges covers criminal justice in the Triangle and across North Carolina. Her work is produced with financial support from the nonprofit The Just Trust. The News & Observer maintains full editorial control of its journalism.
This story was originally published February 24, 2023 at 6:00 AM with the headline "A blip or a trend? The number of NC minors committing violent crimes rose in 2022."
