A newly-released annual report from the state shows that North Carolina's juvenile detention centers are holding more kids, for longer, all while facing severe staffing shortages. 

The report, from the North Carolina Department of Public Safety's Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, shows several youth facilities around the state as over capacity.

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"Right now, that means that kids are sleeping on day room floors on cots," explained Billy Lassiter, NCDPS' Deputy Secretary for Juvenile Justice. "Those day room floors are where we do programming. That’s where we do school. It makes it really difficult to do the programming and mental health services that we need to do for these young people to help turn their lives around."

Earlier this month, state lawmakers from both sides of the aisle expressed concerns over staffing shortages across state agencies, saying the safety of staff and the public was in jeopardy. 

Lassiter said the state has allotted funding for planning for a new juvenile justice facility, which would likely be in Duplin or Mecklenburg Counties.

He also noted that staffing vacancies for direct care positions were found to be at about 40%. He believes they deserve higher salaries.

"We’ve got to show that we respect and value the work these people are doing," Lassiter said.  

The report shows that the number of crimes committed by young people in NC is on the rise, with more than 40,000 complaints filed against juveniles. Complaints are the equivalent of charges, in adult terms.

"Over the last four years, we’ve seen a significant increase in juvenile crime across the state of North Carolina," Lassiter said, noting that the most common offenses were for simple affrays or fights, breaking into cars, and stealing cars. 

Lassiter said that, as for solutions, he believes the state needs to better fund community-based alternatives. 

"We find that kids we reach early with prevention, trying to keep them out of confinement, actually are more effective," he said. "We’re recommending, and it was included in the governor’s budget, $10 million for additional community-based violence prevention programming across the state."