sentencing commission

North Carolina is one of three states that automatically treat 16-year-olds as adults. A proposal by the North Carolina Sentencing Commission, the group designated to advise the General Assembly on matters involving sentencing, would give district attorneys the discretion to treat 13 to 16-year-olds as either jeuveniles or adults. The N&O has a good summary of the proposal, but the gist of the controversy is that due to youth, young teenagers may make poor decisions based on youth that might not justify being sent to adult prisons while young teenagers tend to commit the most violent crimes, again due in part to youth.

Whether these recommendations are good policy is a much different question than whether they will be adopted, which is not very high given the "law and order" demands of the populace.