When Juvenile Justice Matters Cross State Lines: The Interstate Compact for Juveniles (ICJ)

Imagine a case involving a juvenile who lives in North Carolina and is in secure custody because of a charge of an act of delinquency in New York comes across your desk. You look to the Juvenile Code to read the statute that governs interstate issues. You find Article 40 of Chapter 7B, “Interstate Compact for Juveniles.” But, after reading Article 40, you realize that there is no statutory guidance regarding the actual procedure in the case.  Where do you turn? The law regarding interstate matters in juvenile justice cases is perhaps the best kept secret in juvenile law. The actual substance can only be found in the Rules promulgated by the Interstate Commission for Juveniles. What Mattered Are Governed by the ICJ? The following five general categories of cases involving juveniles who are from another state and are in North Carolina are governed by the ICJ. Cases in which juveniles have run away from another state to North Carolina (the ICJ refers to these youth as runaways); are accused of acts of delinquency or status offenses (called undisciplined cases in North Carolina) in another state and are in North Carolina (the ICJ refers to these youth as accused delinquents and accused status offenders); are on probation or parole in another state and run away to North Carolina (the ICJ refers to these youth as absconders); are in custody in another state and escape to North Carolina (the ICJ refers to these youth as escapees); and are placed on probation in [...]