North Carolina is the final U.S. state to raise the age of teens who will be tried in juvenile court. The state, where MacArthur’s National Campaign to Reform State Juvenile Justice has been active, will no longer automatically try as adults 16- and 17-year-olds accused of misdemeanors and low-level felonies. The move will help to protect the privacy of youth involved with the system; in the juvenile system, offenders’ names and criminal records can be shielded from the public.
