Still Here: Cycling Between the Jail and the Mental Health Hospital
PBS, August 1, 2023: Still Here: Cycling Between the Jail and the Mental Health Hospital
“For the last three months, WFAE has been exploring the crisis in North Carolina’s mental health system.
“The ‘Fractured’ series began with the story of John, a 32-year-old Charlotte man living with severe mental illness and intellectual disabilities. John was arrested for arson and attempted murder more than five years ago. He’s been in custody ever since, but he’s never had a trial. That’s because a court found he was too sick to understand his charges, and he needed his mental capacity ‘restored’ at a state psychiatric hospital — just so his case could move forward.
“But John’s been stuck in a system that isn’t working well, cycling between the jail and the hospital, with no end in sight.
“His case isn’t unique. A WFAE investigation found that half of North Carolinians charged with felonies who are incapable to proceed wait behind bars more than 10 months before they can get to a state psychiatric hospital for capacity restoration. All that time, their cases are on hold.
“John got better at the hospital once. But he was sent back to jail to await trial — and got so much sicker, he needed to return to the hospital. He even refused to see his attorney.”
Additional reading:
NPR, January 2, 2023: In county jails, guards use pepper spray, stun guns to subdue people in mental crisis
The Atlantic, May 30, 2022: Locking People Up Is No Way to Treat Mental Illness
