The vast majority of violent crimes aren't committed by people living with mental illness. But when people struggling with mental illness are charged with violent crimes, it poses a dilemma. When a defendant receives treatment and improves while awaiting trial in custody, prosecutors must decide whether they'll ask for a prison sentence or allow defendants to be released to the community with no guarantee they'll continue their care.

The more trauma children endure, the more likely they are to develop a host of medical and social problems, including learning disabilities and addictions. They are also more likely to end up in the juvenile justice system and eventually in jail. In this installment of the series "Fractured," WFAE looks at the intersection of childhood trauma and the justice system.

WFAE has been exploring the crisis brewing in North Carolina’s mental health system. That includes a shortage of state hospital beds.

Four law enforcement officers were shot and killed in Charlotte’s deadliest day for law enforcement. Protesters are arrested at UNC-Chapel Hill. And the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools board plans to send a slightly less expensive budget to the county.

As WFAE has been reporting in our series, “Fractured,” locking up defendants with serious mental illness can make their mental health worse. It’s expensive, and it's often not very effective at reducing crime. If former inmates don’t get treatment when released, they’re likely to get arrested again. But in Miami, Florida, public officials are taking a different approach to the issue — jail diversion.

A student studying conservation biology at Queens University shares the small wonders he observed studying the wildlife on campus via motion-triggered cameras.

WFAE's “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 more than five years ago and has been in custody ever since — but he’s never had a trial. WFAE caught up with John, where he's still stuck in a system that isn't working well, cycling between the jail and the hospital with no end in sight.

Cheslie Kryst, who lived in North and South Carolina and died by suicide in 2022, describes her struggle with depression in her new book "By The Time You Read This." In a note to her mother, April Simpkins, she asked her to publish the book. Simpkins, a co-author of the book, talks to WFAE's Gwendolyn Glenn about her daughter.

The North Carolina roadside history marker commemorates the Cowee Tunnel disaster near Dillsboro, an 1882 construction accident that killed 19 Black inmate workers.

As UNC Charlotte prepares for commencement next week, a small group of students has set up tents near the center of campus as part of a protest in support of Palestinians. So far, the university hasn’t told them to leave.

President Joe Biden visited Wilmington today to announce a total of $250 million in funding to replace lead pipes around North Carolina.

The NAACP alleges that North Carolina's photo ID requirement disproportionally impacts minority voters.