Twenty summer school students were sheltering in the lunchroom when droves of police, firefighters, emergency medical personnel and K-9 teams descended upon the Gaston County high school. The receptionist told the operator the caller identified himself by name and had warned that explosives were buried under a pile of dirt near the wheels of a parked school bus. on June 16, 2022, a receptionist at Bessemer City High School called 911 about a possible bomb threat. Read more: Fractured: The Wait Inmates With Mental Illness Endure Because They’re Too Sick For Trial A false bomb threatĪt 11:22 a.m. That can take a high toll on those jails - and the people who work there. Jail staff have to tend to inmates with mental health issues, even though they’re not fully equipped to do so. The state’s jails are also on the frontlines of the mental health crisis. Hundreds of children and adults wait for days or weeks in ERs because they need a bed on a psychiatric ward, but none is available. Problems in North Carolina’s mental health system overflow into its hospital emergency rooms. We’ve looked at what happens to people with mental illnesses who cycle in and out of jails, serving what some attorneys call a “life sentence on the installment plan.”Īnd we’ve examined the high price some former inmates pay because they can’t get the care they need when they leave jail. We’ve examined what happens to inmates living with severe mental illnesses, who wait years in custody before they get their day in court. For the past five weeks, WFAE has been reporting on the fissures in the system. If you ask your sheriff about North Carolina’s mental health system, they might tell you their jail is evidence it’s broken. Your browser does not support the audio element.

Waiting For You by Catherine Miller