NCDPS Report Shows Longer Stays, Higher Populations in Juvenile Facilities

North Carolina’s juvenile detention centers are seeing more youths held for longer periods, tightening capacity at facilities across the state, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety’s newly released 2024 Annual Report.

NCDPS found that young people transferred to criminal court are now spending an average of 200 days in detention — up from 140 days in 2022. That increase has pushed the statewide daily population to 373 youths in 2024, the highest average in more than a decade.

By comparison, youths handled entirely within the juvenile justice system have seen no significant change in their length of stay over the same three-year period.

The Division of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (DJJDP), which runs 12 detention centers and five youth development centers, says it is already using the report’s data to guide improvements.

Key findings

– Average daily detention population reached 373 in 2024, the highest since 2011

– Youth entering the system continue to present complex behavioral health needs

– Staffing shortages persist but have improved since 2023

Deputy Secretary William Lassiter said the rise in admissions and longer stays highlight deeper challenges facing young people in state custody.

“We have to focus on how we address the root causes that bring kids into the system in the first place,” Lassiter said.

Part of the pressure comes from recent changes to state law. The 2019 Juvenile Justice Reinvestment Act, also known as “Raise the Age,” moved most 16- and 17-year-olds charged with nonviolent offenses into the juvenile system. But lawmakers approved HB 834 last year, requiring those teens charged with Class A–E felonies to be sent directly to adult court beginning Dec. 1, 2024. It was vetoed by then-Governor Roy Cooper and overridden.

By the end of 2024, youths awaiting criminal court proceedings accounted for 43 percent of the state’s juvenile detention population — a share that continues to grow into 2025.

Facilities feeling the strain

At the Chatham Youth Development Center, Director Floretta McDonald said staff are working to adapt as more teens are committed to detention while awaiting court outcomes.

“So many youths are being sent to detention centers because they haven’t been adjudicated yet,” McDonald said. “We can manage it the best way we can because we can’t tell a judge who to commit.”

Lassiter said the influx has intensified the need for treatment services. The report shows that 98 percent of youth development center residents have at least one mental health diagnosis, and more than half live with multiple mental health or substance use conditions.

Just over half were prescribed antidepressant or anti-anxiety medications in 2024.

“Last year, every single one of them had a mental health diagnosis except for one,” Lassiter said.

Staffing remains a challenge

While staffing shortages remain significant, the division has seen progress. A salary overhaul approved by lawmakers in 2023 helped reduce vacancy rates from 34 percent to 23 percent. Community-based providers have also been brought in to support mental health programming amid limited personnel.

Lassiter said the department plans to keep prioritizing services for youths with the greatest needs.

“For many of these young people, this is their last resource when everything else has failed them,” he said.

NCDPS leaders say they will continue to use the report’s findings to guide changes aimed at strengthening programs, supporting families, and reducing recidivism among North Carolina’s most vulnerable teens.