Part of Morgan Earp L’22’s legacy at Elon Law is an online resource she developed for North Carolina parents and guardians whose children are facing criminal charges.
Elon Law students, who are graduating this month, have developed an online resource that they hope will ease the fears of parents and guardians navigating the juvenile justice system for youth with troubled North Carolina laws.
Morgan Earp L’22 explored the process by which prosecutors and courts resolve criminal charges against youth under the age of 18 in the state. North Carolina’s juvenile justice system now operates from petitioning to probation and referral to superior courts for the most serious crimes. In Earp’s quote, “behind the curtain.”
The website she created in the fall for her Leadership Fellow pinnacle project aims to demystify the complexity of the system. Also, a presentation submitted to the North Carolina Bar Association’s Juvenile Justice and Children’s Rights Section on Dec. 2 earned her praise from lawyers who work with her parents every day. and guardian.
Earp’s next step is to share the link via printed QR code with attorneys, counselors and advocates across North Carolina, with their clients and others who may benefit from the website. is to
“I’ve seen parents panic and feel overwhelmed about their child getting caught in the criminal justice system,” Earp said before the presentation. “I wanted their experience to be less overwhelming, less scary, and more transparent to them about the system. It makes it easier to see if we are getting results.”
Earp has pursued a juvenile justice career since high school in Arkansas when his cousin was charged with a crime. Earp recalls that the juvenile justice system failed to find the root cause of crime itself, an experience that paved the way for his legal career.
“I want to be a lawyer who asks boys what they can do. There’s something going on that makes them behave this way,” Earp said. I want to speak – I’m not allowing them to speak for themselves. I want their voices to be heard.”
Earp graduated from Arkansas Tech with a BS in Criminal Justice and a BA in Political Science. After graduating, she served as her AmeriCorps member at Our House, which provides empowering services to homeless and near-homeless families and individuals in Little Rock.
While studying at Elon Law, Earp founded and served as president of the Native American Law Students Association. She completed a leadership internship at the Guildford County District Attorney’s Office to learn and assist in juvenile prosecution.