House OKs Raising Minimum Age For NC Juvenile Court To 8

The minimum age in which a child could be prosecuted in North Carolina’s juvenile courts would rise from 6 to 8 in legislation approved by the House. The proposal would remove North Carolina as the state with the lowest age for juvenile adjudication set by law. There had been attempts this year to raise the minimum age to 10. But several lawmakers were concerned 8- or 9-year-olds accused of the most serious felonies could only receive counseling for their crimes. An advisory panel recommended the 10-year-old minimum. The threshold is in a broader juvenile justice bill that received overwhelming support and now returns to the Senate.