The mental health care system in North Carolina has been failing for years. Perhaps nowhere is that more evident than those who get caught up in the criminal justice system, out of sight, therefore out of mind for the general public and policymakers. But their plight and the brokenness of the mental health system affects everyone in the state.
Crisis describes North Carolina’s mental health system. It is harder to access mental health care here than most other states, and that affects everyone particularly the most vulnerable. Like inmates who are too sick to stand trial. They often wait months in custody for the treatment they need just to be well enough to go to court.
Inmates in North Carolina prisons no longer receive actual letters penned by friends and loved ones. Starting this week, they receive copies of those letters. It’s a change state prison officials say they made to help reduce the amount of drugs entering facilities.