by Michelle Sparrow | Mar 6, 2013 | Criminal Law Blog, Homicide
Since the Newtown shootings, public debate has focused on gun violence and mental health resources. That tragedy and others have pointed out that neither the government nor the health care sector has figured out the best way to help people with mental illness before... by Michelle Sparrow | Feb 28, 2013 | Criminal Law Blog, Homicide
How do you know a person is mentally competent? How can we ever be sure a person who has a history of mental illness is competent enough to stand trial or to enter a plea agreement? There is no easy answer, of course. A plea agreement in a Wake County case illustrates... by Michelle Sparrow | Sep 19, 2011 | Criminal Defense, Criminal Law Blog
In North Carolina, it is a crime to strike an emergency room nurse or doctor. Depending on the harm inflicted, an offender can be charged with misdemeanor or felony assault. While it makes sense to arrest someone who intentionally attacks a nurse for criminal... by Michelle Sparrow | Sep 16, 2011 | Criminal Defense, Criminal Law Blog
We are close to wrapping up our discussion of how jails and prisons are dealing with the mentally ill. Anyone involved with the criminal justice system — either defense or prosecution — is aware that the number of inmates with mental illness has increased... by Michelle Sparrow | Sep 15, 2011 | Criminal Defense, Criminal Law Blog
North Carolina recognized long ago that jail and prison inmates often suffer from mental illness. The Department of Correction had dedicated mental health facilities long before the Reagan Administration shut down state hospitals across the country. That...