On Monday, April 14, North Carolina Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai, in alliance with Wake County Sheriff Willie Rowe, will reveal a new initiative designed to deliver mental health treatment to defendants who have been judged incapable of standing trial. This announcement, poised to take place at the Wake County Detention Center at 4 p.m., will introduce the NC RISE program's extension to capacity restoration services, an effort to provide necessary mental health support within the judicial system of North Carolina.
The expansion of these services is set to hasten the judicial process by ensuring defendants with mental illnesses are given appropriate care, as reported by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. NC RISE seeks to bolster, the strength and efficacy of the legal and behavioral health frameworks in the state. In a statement obtained by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, officials have expressed that the primary goal of the initiative is to dispense the right mental health care to all North Carolinians in need.
Alongside Secretary Sangvai and Sheriff Rowe, Dr. Anna Abate, who coordinates the NC RISE program, and Kelly Crosbie, the Director of the Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Use Services at NCDHHS, will also be present. They, and other speakers, are scheduled to provide details about the program's operational nuances and anticipated impacts on both detainees and the broader justice system.
Members of the press with credentials are welcomed and are encouraged to RSVP ahead of the event, with an arrival time suggested at 3:45 p.m. According to the official notice on NCDHHS, a Q&A session will follow the announcement, providing media representatives an opportunity to address inquiries directly to the officials present.
The address for the press conference, meant to address issues within the intersections of mental health and the justice system, is Wake County Detention Center, 3301 Hammond Road, Raleigh, NC 26703.
