Should there be easier access to juvenile court records?
Juveniles in North Carolina committed 46,231 crimes last year. With those crimes leading to 437 people serving time at a detention center, there is growing concern over whether to allow access to juvenile court records of those later processed in the adult-court system.
Posted — UpdatedLast year, juveniles across North Carolina were charged in 41 first-degree murders, 31 cases of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, 345 instances of robbery with a dangerous weapons and 1,964 breaking-and-entering offenses.
Generally, a juvenile case involves a person who is under the age of 16. The North Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice says that keeping the files private gives juveniles a fresh start in adulthood, whether it be to join the military, go to college or get a job.
Prosecutors say they have to have a way through that wall of privacy.
Because the records are only accessible during business hours, magistrates who set bond after arrests can't always see records either.
He was out on bond when he was arrested March 13 in Carson's death.
Because of sealed juvenile records, prosecutors and judges likely didn't see Lovette's record when he was arrested three times in three months before his arrest for Carson's murder. After that arrest, he was charged with other unsolved crimes from Cary to Greensboro, including Mahato's murder.
To better understand the juvenile system that Lovette was a part of, WRAL News talked to someone spending time at the Edgecombe Youth Development Center.
With juvenile crime rates remaining flat over the last seven years, the state said its focus is shifting to reform. Edgecombe is one of four new facilities where the focus is on counseling, rather than confinement.
Alvin is working to turn his life around while at the Edgecombe facility. Since he was already in the juvenile system, his assault charge at the age of 17 had the option of being classified as a juvenile delinquency case.
Alvin said he plans to get his GED and hopes to join the Army.
For cases like Lovette's, the question remains: Should there be easy access to juvenile records when the offender gets arrested as an adult?
Juvenile public defender Eric Zogry said the law isn't always practical, but there is concern over what easier access could lead to.
Mental health evaluations that may or may not be relevant are also in juvenile files. What information and how it should be handled is a complicated question that has yet to be answered.
Probation Director Robert Guy told WRAL News Monday that this is the most dangerous juvenile population he has seen in 31 years. He also said he wants more access to files for his officers.
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