NC Sheriffs' Association

shows an inmate in a orange jail jumpsuit and handcuffs behind a bottle labeled methadone, an opioid use disorder drug that can help reduce cravings.

For some opioid users in NC, jail doesn’t mean detox

February 25, 2020 by Taylor Knopf

For some opioid users in NC, jail doesn’t mean detox - North Carolina Health News

To prevent overdose deaths, some counties are allowing inmates to continue medication-assisted treatment.

Taylor Knopf For most people using substances, time in jail means forced detox. This is also true for those trying to improve their lives with opioid addiction programs, such as medication-assisted treatment (MAT). More and more North Carolinians are entering these MAT programs, where they receive daily doses of drugs, such as methadone or buprenorphine […]

Jail suicides are on the rise in North Carolina

NC jail suicide and overdose deaths on the rise

October 31, 2019 by Taylor Knopf

NC jail suicide and overdose deaths on the rise - North Carolina Health News

Advocates want to update old jail rules to help keep inmates safe, but sheriffs’ objections are slowing down the process.

By Taylor Knopf Suicide and drug overdose deaths are on the rise in North Carolina jails, according to a recent report released by Disability Rights NC. There have been 17 suicides so far this year, up from 12 in 2018. And the number of jail overdose deaths more than doubled from 2017 to 2018. About […]

Some NC lawmakers want hemp classified as marijuana, farmers push back — UPDATED

July 24, 2019 by Taylor Knopf

Some NC lawmakers want hemp classified as marijuana, farmers push back — UPDATED - North Carolina Health News

Law enforcement officers say they can’t tell the difference between hemp and marijuana, so they want it banned. Farmers are finally profiting from the legal crop and don’t want the ban. State lawmakers will take up the now-contentious Farm Act on Wednesday.

By Taylor Knopf Some N.C. lawmakers want to classify hemp — a newly legalized crop — as marijuana because law enforcement officers say they can’t tell the difference between the two. Meanwhile, farmers who are suffering from plummeting commodity prices and hurricane losses say they are finally reaping some real profits from growing hemp. The […]

shows a rack of rifles. They're part of the debate over red flag laws.

A Bill to Yank Guns Before Violence

May 23, 2018 by Catherine Clabby

A Bill to Yank Guns Before Violence - North Carolina Health News

Some lawmakers say it’s time to give judges and law enforcement the power to temporarily remove firearms from people deemed to be dangerous to themselves and others.

By Catherine Clabby Dangers from gun owners who turn violent are not abstractions to state Rep. Marcia Morey. During her 18 years as a District Court judge, the Durham Democrat witnessed hundreds of criminal cases stemming from shootings, including many murders. Too often people described adult and juvenile defendants after the fact as “time bombs” […]

Reducing mental illness in jails with evidence

May 7, 2017 by Taylor Knopf

Reducing mental illness in jails with evidence - North Carolina Health News

Stepping Up brings together corrections and mental health professionals to find best practices to reduce the burden of mental illness in jails.

By Taylor Knopf Several hundred county commissioners, sheriffs, court officials and mental health providers from across North Carolina will meet in Raleigh on Tuesday to discuss a new initiative to reduce mental illness in jails. County jails are the largest provider of residential mental health care in the United States, said Richard Cho, director of […]

Shows dosens of people crowded into the room behind the podium.

NC Chief Justice Makes Push to Raise the Age of Kids in Adult Court

May 2, 2017 by Taylor Knopf

NC Chief Justice Makes Push to Raise the Age of Kids in Adult Court - North Carolina Health News

After weeks of languishing at the legislature, a bill to revise how young adults get charged gets some juice from the state’s highest ranking jurist.

By Taylor Knopf North Carolina is now the only state in the U.S. that automatically tries 16 and 17 year-olds as adults. Powerful House lawmakers introduced “Raise the Age” legislation to change that fact during the first week of March, but House Bill 280 has been stuck on a committee to-do list ever since. On […]

Mentally Ill Could Be Charged With “Hate Crime” Under Proposed Bill – UPDATE

April 27, 2017 by Taylor Knopf

Mentally Ill Could Be Charged With “Hate Crime” Under Proposed Bill – UPDATE - North Carolina Health News

A bill intends to increase penalties for assaulting first responders, but could that put someone in mental health crisis at risk?

By Taylor Knopf Story originally published on April 10, 2017 and has been updated. Please see box, below. As states around the country introduce and pass “Blue Lives Matter” laws, North Carolina has its own version worked into the omnibus “First Responders Act of 2017.” House Bill 181 deals with a myriad of issues related […]

photo shows the madison county courthouse, an old brick building with tall white columns and a gazebo on top

Opioids to Heroin to Hepatitis C in Western NC

April 20, 2017 by Taylor Knopf

Opioids to Heroin to Hepatitis C in Western NC - North Carolina Health News

They don't always agree, but Madison County Sheriff James Harwood and Health Director Marianna Daly have found common ground to mitigate the effects of opioids in their community.

By Taylor Knopf As North Carolina officials are cracking down on opioid prescribing, some medical professionals weren’t surprised by the concurrent increase in IV drug use and the diseases that come along with it, such as HIV and hepatitis C. In Madison County, a rural stretch of mountains northwest of Asheville, the county health director […]

New Push to End Treatment of Teen Offenders as Adults

March 9, 2017 by Taylor Knopf

New Push to End Treatment of Teen Offenders as Adults - North Carolina Health News

State lawmakers filed “Raise the Age” legislation Wednesday with full law enforcement support.

By Taylor Knopf State lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are confident that this will be the year North Carolina finally passes “Raise the Age” legislation. Rep. Chuck McGrady, a Henderson County Republican, introduced House Bill 280 on Wednesday to raise the age at which a person is automatically treated as an adult in […]

Karen Simon, Director of Inmate Programs for the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's department.

Released with Hope

November 2, 2015 by Editor

Released with Hope - North Carolina Health News

Programs at the Mecklenburg County jail have allowed prisoners to re-enter society with the skills to succeed and have reduced recidivism rates. By Rachel Herzog The tall, grizzled man with a crooked smile had five or six months until his court date. Until then, John would spend his days building wooden chairs amid the clatter […]

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