Summary

In recent years, the U.S. has been experiencing what’s been called a mental health crisis. The documentary Fractured examines how that crisis is playing out within the criminal justice system in North Carolina, a state where it’s been harder to access mental health care than in most others. From FRONTLINE’s Local Journalism Initiative, the Charlotte, North Carolina, NPR station WFAE, and Firelight Media, Fractured investigates the long waits for mental health care that defendants who are deemed too sick to stand trial face in North Carolina. The documentary explores how the long waits for care affect not only these defendants, but also the criminal justice system itself.