North Carolina legislators advanced legislation Tuesday aimed at reforming how the state treats criminal suspects with mental illness. A House judiciary committee gave a favorable report to House Bill 1104, sponsored by state Rep. Tim Reeder, R-Pitt, which seeks to shift some mental evaluations out of emergency departments and expand the number of people who can conduct them.
The legislative effort stems from the August death of Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian who was fatally stabbed on a Charlotte commuter train. The General Assembly approved a judicial reform package titled “Iryna’s Law” in October, intended to keep more suspects in custody while awaiting trial. However, hospital representatives objected to requirements that certain criminal defendants undergo psychiatric evaluations in hospital emergency departments, citing safety concerns for patients and staff. In response, Reeder incorporated a suggestion from hospital leaders to conduct evaluations in jails instead.
House Speaker Destin Hall created a committee to review the state’s involuntary commitment laws, with Reeder as cochair. The bill would allow more North Carolinians under involuntary commitment orders to undergo mental health treatment outside of psychiatric facilities. Marie Evitt, representing the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association, expressed sheriffs’ support for Reeder’s proposal.
The legislation would also direct the state Department of Health and Human Services to evaluate training programs for medical providers conducting psychiatric evaluations, instruct state-funded regional behavioral health management companies to develop plans using mobile crisis units in the involuntary commitment process, and direct the UNC Health Care System to explore improving services at state psychiatric facilities including Broughton Hospital, Central Regional Hospital, and Cherry Hospital.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.wral.com/news/nccapitol/north-carolina-mental-health-treatment-psychiatric-facility-june-1/