Scientists are looking at the ways humans change the planet — and the impact that has on the spread of infectious disease. You might be surprised at some of their conclusions.
SPECIAL COVERAGE
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See the latest news and information about COVID-19 and its impact on the Charlotte region, the Carolinas and beyond.
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Americans spend more on medical care than those in other wealthy countries, but we’re a lot sicker. The Price We Pay will explore the reasons for that and possible solutions to our health care crisis.
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For those living with severe mental illness, the chances of becoming homeless can be high. Once homeless, they’re more likely to end up behind bars. Going to jail can start a downward spiral. Many lose jobs or benefits — even health care. Some will cycle between jail and the streets for years — often for minor crimes like trespassing. Last week, WFAE — with support from the PBS series, "FRONTLINE" — examined the problem of inmates who wait in custody for months because they’re too sick to stand trial. This week we focus on inmates who cycle in and out of jail, serving what many in the court system call a “life sentence on the installment plan.”
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WFAE — with support from the PBS series, "FRONTLINE" — has been examining the problem of inmates living with mental illness. This week we focus on ways to help former inmates stay out of jail. And the ways the system fails to do that.
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WFAE’s "Fractured" series has reported on the struggles of inmates living with mental illness. But it isn’t just inmates who wait. On average, North Carolinians who go to an emergency room in crisis wait 16 days for a state psychiatric hospital bed.
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WFAE has been examining North Carolina’s broken mental health system, especially as it affects people in the criminal justice system. This week, we start to look at the impact this system has on others, such as children, who wait for weeks or months in hospital emergency departments because there’s simply no place for them to go. And people who head to emergency rooms in crisis, only to find the average wait for a state psychiatric hospital is more than two weeks.
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North Carolina's jails are on the frontlines of the mental health crisis. Jail staff have to tend to inmates with mental health issues, even though they’re not fully equipped to do so. That can take a high toll on those jails — and the people who work there.
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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.
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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.
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WFAE has been exploring the crisis brewing in North Carolina’s mental health system. That includes a shortage of state hospital beds.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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The state's law requires women seeking divorce to disclose whether they're pregnant — and state judges won't finalize divorces during a pregnancy. Texas and Arkansas have similar laws on the books.