Capacity Restoration Program Begins in Pitt County Detention Center

MEDIA ADVISORY - The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services in partnership with the Pitt County Sheriff's Office will hold a press conference at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, to announce the launch of the new capacity restoration program at the Pitt County Detention Center. NC Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley will be joined by Senator Jim Burgin, Pitt County Sheriff Paula Dance and Executive Vice President and General Counsel for the NC Sheriff's Association Eddie W. Caldwell Jr. during the press conference and brief Q&A with credentialed media after.

RALEIGH

Dec 12, 2024

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services in partnership with the Pitt County Sheriff's Office will hold a press conference at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, to announce the launch of the new capacity restoration program at the Pitt County Detention Center. NC Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley will be joined by Senator Jim Burgin, Pitt County Sheriff Paula Dance and Executive Vice President and General Counsel for the NC Sheriff's Association Eddie W. Caldwell Jr. during the press conference and brief Q&A with credentialed media after.

The program will offer additional services for inmates awaiting trial dates with pending charges who are deemed Incapable to Proceed (ITP) by the court and is part of the department's continued efforts to ensure all North Carolinians are able to access behavioral health care.

The program launch in the Pitt County Detention Center is the second of its kind in the state and is an expansion of the NC RISE program, which first began in Mecklenburg County. Before then, capacity restoration services were only available in North Carolina through state hospitals which are intended for people in need of higher levels of care. Early data shows the average wait time to restore capacity in the detention-based program is 48 days, compared to an average of more than 180 days when an individual receives these same services at a state psychiatric hospital.

By continuing to expand service options for justice-involved individuals, NCDHHS aims to strengthen and improve capacity in both the legal and behavioral health systems so as to better meet the needs of all North Carolinians across the state.

What: Pitt County Capacity Restoration Program Launch Press Conference

Who: Kody H. Kinsley, Secretary, NCDHHS
Jim Burgin, NC State Senator, R-District 12
Paula Dance, Sheriff, Pitt County
Eddie W. Caldwell Jr., Executive Vice President and General Counsel, NC Sheriff's Association

When: Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024
1:30 p.m.

Where: Pitt County Detention Center
124 New Hope Drive
Greenville, NC 27834

Media: Credentialed media are invited to attend and should plan to arrive by 1:15 p.m. Please RSVP to [email protected].

Related Topics:

• Mental Health