Durham County DA: No truancy court, jail census up; homicide and digital evidence slow trials

At a Durham County budget work session, District Attorney Deberry told commissioners the county has never operated a separate “truancy court” and said prosecuting parents for school absences has not been her office’s chosen response.

Deberry said the county’s approach had relied on attendance staff and an automated letter that previously carried the district attorney’s signature; she reviewed and removed her signature when she became DA because, she said, the letter was inaccurate on the law. “Durham has never had a truancy court,” Deberry said. She recommended that the school superintendent, rather than the DA, send any informational letters and said her office is unlikely to prosecute most truancy referrals.

Why it matters: Commissioners told Deberry absenteeism is a system-level problem that affects school success and can be an early indicator of later criminal justice involvement. The board said it wants better data and coordinated solutions involving the schools, the DA’s office and other partners.

Deberry outlined several related issues commissioners raised: a steady rise in the daily jail census, the size and status of the county’s homicide docket, delays between charging and resolution…