Durham programs show progress in slowing spread of violent crime by children

Prior to Dec. 1, 2019, the juvenile crime rate was defined as the rate of delinquent offenses per 1,000 people ages 6 through 15. Starting in 2020, the juvenile crime rate measured the rate of delinquent offenses per 1,000 people ages 6 through 17.

An increase was expected when state expanded the age range for those who can be classified as juveniles from 15 to 17.

Durham and Durham County leaders are working to buckle down on this issue, however, and prevent more teens from going down that path.

Tackling violent crime among young people has become a priority for leaders in Durham, and the pandemic only heightened their concerns.

A factor in the increase in crime committed by young people could be the fact that youth in Durham face higher rates of mental health and substance abuse problems compared to other counties, according to a survey.

“I think these factors have led to possibly an increase in crime, especially among our young youth and especially among our gang-involved youth,” said Jim Stuit, Durham’s gang reduction strategy manager.

He explains the 2020 data which shows Durham juveniles are four times more likely to be in a gang or in association compared to their statewide peers.

“When we look at court-involved youth in Durham County, we see that about 25% of them are currently are involved in some kind of a gang. That compares with only 7% of the statewide average,” he said.

Department of Public Safety data shows that in 2019, 17 Durham juveniles committed violent offenses. In 2020, that number jumped to 148. Durham isn't unique in that though. Juvenile violent crime jumped 66.5% statewide, according to the data.

“Of course, any criminal activity is disturbing by anyone, but when we see our children – and I stress our children – getting involved in these types of activities, we’re noticing higher caliber weapons on our streets, but also victims and perpetrators are getting younger,” said Mark Anthony Middleton, Durham mayor pro tem.

On Thursday, the Durham city council received a breakdown of crimes by age in a quarterly crime report. It shows children as young as 12 are stealing, robbing and being charged with physical assault.

“We know that we don’t want to lock all of our children up. This is not just a policing situation," Middleton said. "We need to do better in providing opportunities and pathways and access for our young people that will give them options.”

Stuit said the plan is to continue bringing awareness to those resources. A few indicators show it’s already making a difference.

Though crime is up, the crime rate among young people remains below the state average – at 13.86 per 1,000, significantly lower North Carolina's, which is 18.08 per 1,000.

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“I think we can say that there has been some success, but obviously we’ve got a lot more work to do, and we’ve got a lot of people continuing to work on that,” said Stuit.

The Durham Gang Assessment for this year is wrapping up, and that report will be released next year. The city also has several initiatives underway to target at-risk youth in the community.

In a statement, the Durham’s District Attorney’s Office tells WRAL News:

“Research supports that young people who come in contact with the court system are more likely to return as adults. For these reasons, we focus prosecution efforts on serious and violent cases involving juveniles. That said, this is a small number of individuals and a small portion of the overall cases that come to our office.”

In 2019, the Durham DA’s Office created a Juvenile Team that handles all cases involving people under 18. This helps ensure case resolutions are tailored to the unique needs of juveniles and connects them to treatment and other resources that can help them avoid future offenses. In 2019, it also stopped accepting court referrals for offenses in schools, with exceptions for violent crimes.