N.C. prosecutors decry erosion of the state's mental health services

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:07 EST

North Carolina's prosecutors say they are increasingly concerned about the erosion of state services for people with mental illness who are accused of crimes.

In a letter sent last month to Gov. Bev Perdue and her secretary of Health and Human Services, Lanier Cansler, the N.C. Conference of District Attorneys said its members are worried by a lack of available beds in the forensic unit at Central Regional Hospital in Butner. Evaluations are performed there to determine whether defendants are competent to stand trial.

The pre-trial evaluations have long been done at Dorothea Dix Hospital in Raleigh, but the unit is set to move to Butner early next year.

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N.C. prosecutors decry erosion of the state's mental health services