What is the court authority for juveniles in North Carolina?
In North Carolina, juvenile cases are handled in the state district courts. Generally, that court has jurisdiction (authority) over young people who fit the legal definitions of delinquent or undisciplined juvenile, those who engage in undisciplined behavior while at least 6 but not yet 18, and those who engage in delinquent behavior while at least 6 but not yet 16. The court may keep jurisdiction over any undisciplined or delinquent juvenile until the juvenile reaches 18. When a juvenile is sent to a youth development center for one of the most serious offenses, the juvenile may be kept in youth development center until his or her 19th birthday. In the most serious violent offenses, a juvenile may be kept in a youth development center until he or she is 21. A judge may send a juvenile to a youth development center only if the juvenile is delinquent and is at least ten years old. (Other conditions apply as well.) The court also has jurisdiction over young people under age 18 who need p
