Youth crime rate is rising and community activists, officials are concerned: 'Getting worse'
NORTH CAROLINA (WTVD) -- There's a troubling trend taking place when it comes to North Carolina's youth.
According to Juvenile Justice System data obtained by ABC11, youth violent crime is surging both across the state and in the Triangle.
In 2022, there were over 2,300 class A-E felonies in North Carolina compared with an average of roughly 1600 between 2019 and 2021 -- a 75.4% increase.
In Wake County, the trend was even more pronounced, jumping from an average of 82.7 felonies between 2019 and 2021 to 173 in 2022.
In Durham, the same time period saw a 58.6% rise in violent juvenile crime, and in Cumberland County, 43.9%. Class A-E felonies represent the most serious crimes in the justice system.
"There's no question that we are witnessing what seems like an explosion of violent juvenile crime," said Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman.
Freeman said the severity of the crimes being committed by kids is getting worse, too. In the last 18 months, her office has handled more than a dozen homicide cases from people under the age of 18. She says some juvenile justice reform is needed to keep pace.
"The laws in this state, the way they apply, the way we can use them to keep our community safe, are not sufficient when it comes to this level of violence from juveniles," Freeman said. "The programming that is available through the juvenile justice system is not sufficient."
Community activists say much more needs to be done, and an honest reckoning about the source of rising youth crime needs to be had.
"Our kids are basically lost. There are no resources, actually, that are effective," said Diana Powell, Executive Director of the non-profit Justice Served NC.
Powell called the recent surge in crime from kids the product of systemic poverty and a lack of leadership in the lives of those impacted.
"If there's no one to lead them the right way, they are going to get lost trying to find their own way," said Powell.
Kimberly Muktarian is another long-time advocate for social justice and violence prevention as President of the group Save our Sons. She thinks the issue will require an all-hands approach to remedy, and called on the Mayor and the City of Raleigh to recognize the impact systemic racism has had on black crime rates.
"This is a mental health crisis," said Muktarian. "Now we're looking for the Department of Health and Human Services to get involved we're looking for public safety to get involved, and we're looking for the community to make it their business."
