Reports of juvenile crime on the rise in Wake and Durham counties, data shows
A PROJECT MANAGER. HE'S BEEN
WITH THE UNIVERSITY SINCE 2014.
>> JUVENILE CRIME IS ON THE
RISE IN WAKE AND DURHAM
COUNTIES. THAT'S ACCORDING TO A
NEW TOOL WHICH HIGHLIGHTS THE
AREAS AS HAVING SOME OF THE
HIGHEST NUMBER OF JUVENILE
COMPLAINTS IN NORTH CAROLINA.
WAKE COUNTY WITH 3800 DURHAM
COUNTY WITH 5100 LAST YEAR.
WRAL'S CHELSEA DONOVAN IS
JOINING US LIVE THIS EVENING.
CHELSEA, THIS NEW DASHBOARD
GIVING A SNAPSHOT OF DATA
TRENDS STATEWIDE.
>> YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THAT
DATA RIGHT HERE AND YOU CAN
DEFINITELY SEE, AS YOU
MENTIONED, THE COMPLAINTS
ACROSS THE STATE ON THE RISE
HERE AND MANY OF THOSE
COMPLAINTS HAVE TO DO WITH GUN
CHARGES, MORE CRIMES, JUVENILES
COMMITTING CRIMES WITH GUNS,
TAKING THEM TO SCHOOL AND THIS
TREND IS ON THE UPWARD RIGHT
NOW.
>> LAST YEAR, 85 GUNS WERE
FOUND IN SCHOOLS ACROSS OUR
STATE TO MARKETING OF FARMS IS
WAY UP. AND THAT'S A KID'S
DOING THAT FARMS. AND WHAT WE
FOUND WAS THAT MOST OF THOSE
KIDS ARE STILL IN THOSE BOMBS
FROM THE VEHICLE. THEN THEY
OFTEN USE THAT GUN TO COMMIT
OTHER CRIMES. AND DEPUTY
DIRECTOR BILLY LASTED OR WITH
THE DEPARTMENT OF JUVENILE
JUSTICE. LASTER SAYS OVERALL
CRIME IS DOWN IN MOST COUNTIES
THAT JUVENILE COMPLAINTS ARE UP
IN WAKE AND DURHAM COUNTIES
LAST YEAR. IT WAS DOWN SLIGHTLY
IN THE NUMBER OF KIDS THAT WERE
INVOLVED. BUT THE NUMBER OF
COMPLAINTS THAT CAME INTO THE
SYSTEM OF OHIO, WHICH WHAT THAT
MEANS IS THAT WE'RE SEEING A
LOT OF REPEAT OFFENDERS, FOR
EXAMPLE, IN WAKE COUNTY,
JUVENILE COMPLAINTS IN 2023
WERE JUST OVER 3600. BUT LAST
YEAR THEY ROSE TO MORE THAN
3800 OVERALL. THE NUMBER OF
COMPLAINTS WENT FROM 39,345
2, 40,447 ACROSS THE STATE.
THE BIGGEST CRIME COMMITTED
GUN OFFENSES. BUT DIVERSION
OF THESE JUVENILES ARE ON THE
RISE. THAT MEANS THEY AREN'T
GETTING LOCKED UP AND STAYING
LOCKED UP.
>> BUT INSTEAD GETTING HELP, WE
TRY TO DIVERT KIDS FROM THE
SYSTEM BECAUSE WHAT THE
RESEARCH SHOWS US IS THE DEEPER
A CHILD GETS INTO THE SYSTEM.
THE MORE LIKELY THEY ARE TO
ACTUALLY REINVENT DETENTION.
ADMISSIONS ARE ALSO INCREASING.
>> BUT LAST UDDER SAYS THAT'S
DUE TO THE RAISE. THE AGE LAW,
THE MORE COMMUNITY BASED
PROGRAMMING WHEN HE ADDITIONAL
STAFF IN OUR FACILITIES.
BUT WE ALSO NEED TO MAKE SURE
THAT THESE KIDS THAT ARE.
>> 16 OR 17 YEARS OLD THAT ARE
FACING REALLY SERIOUS CHARGES.
WE DOING THE BEST THING FOR
THEM.
>> ALL RIGHT. SO ONE OTHER STEP
IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION,
ACCORDING TO LAST OR IS THE
VACANCY RATE WITHIN THIS
DEPARTMENT LAST YEAR THAT THEY
CURRENCY RATE WAS UPWARDS OF
65%. THAT'S A BIG DEAL BECAUSE
LESS PEOPLE IN THESE DETENTION
FACILITIES MEANS LESS OF THESE
JUVENILES GETTING HELP. THE
GOOD NEWS IS THAT VACANCY RATE
WAY DOWN AT 25% RIGHT NOW LIVE