Before the Juvenile Justice Reinvestment Act (JJRA) was passed, the criminal and juvenile laws of North Carolina treated youth who engaged in criminal activity at ages 16 and 17 as adults.

It is this construct that changed on December 1, 2019, when the majority of the JJRA’s provisions took effect. Under the new law, processing of nearly all offenses committed at ages 16 and 17 begins under juvenile jurisdiction. While the vast majority of these cases are resolved under juvenile jurisdiction, the most serious felony offenses committed at ages 16 and 17 are governed by statutes, amended in 2021, that include unique procedures for their transfer to superior court.

This guide outlines changes in the law that resulted from the JJRA and subsequent related legislative changes, reflecting all legislative changes through February 1, 2022. While it is not intended to serve as a guide for all juvenile delinquency practice, background is provided to inform discussion of areas of law that were amended in the JJRA.