Gov. Josh Stein signed an executive order aiming to bolster behavioral health and criminal justice systems in North Carolina on Feb. 5, 2026. (Photo: Christine Zhu/NC Newsline)
Gov. Josh Stein signed an executive order Thursday morning aimed at strengthening the behavioral health and criminal justice systems in North Carolina to better respond to the state’s mental health treatment needs.
Surrounded by doctors, law enforcement officers, and state lawmakers, Stein referenced events around the state that police said were committed by people with a history of mental illness — including the killing of Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte last August.
“Our system needs to work better,” Stein said. “Better for the people who are suffering, better for those who are around them, and better for the entire community.”
He’s directing the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Public Safety, Department of Adult Correction and the Office of State Human Resources to collaborate on strengthening North Carolina’s behavioral health and criminal justice systems for both adults and juveniles.
Stein identified the connection between mental health and public safety as a key concern. His goals for the executive order include improving the state’s ability to involuntarily commit and treat people with dangerous mental health problems.
Kelly Crosbie, director of the Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Use Service at DHHS, called the executive order a “milestone” for North Carolina.
“It recognizes the important role of mental health in the health and safety of our communities,” she said.
The vast majority of people experiencing mental health challenges don’t pose any risk to themselves or others, Stein said. “However, a small minority of people who are experiencing paranoid delusions can pose a risk to public safety when their serious mental illness goes untreated.”
There will also be greater focus on assisting people reentering the community after incarceration. About 18,000 people will leave a state prison this year and come back into the community, according to the governor.
“If people do not have the support that they need in place when they get out, it’s all the more likely they will repeat the behaviors that led them to getting incarcerated in the first place,” Stein said.
These plans require cooperation from frontline workers like the public safety and behavioral health workforce. But those agencies face staffing shortages, leading to burnout for many who work there.
The state prison system has a vacancy rate of nearly 50% for correction officers, Stein said, which “shouldn’t be a surprise” since starting correctional officer pay in North Carolina is 49th in the country.
“It’s critical for us to be able to attract new talent by raising the pay for people, but also, we have to retain our good staff that we have right now,” DAC Secretary Leslie Dismukes said. “More people working in prisons will enhance security, which will also enhance the opportunity for people to gain skills to rehabilitate.”
Although many people are in need of inpatient psychiatric treatment in North Carolina, a quarter of inpatient units in state-run facilities can’t be used because the state can’t hire enough qualified workers to staff them, according to Stein. That’s about 300 empty beds across the state, which Stein called a “travesty.”
“We spent all this money on this facility,” he said. “The units are there, and they are empty, even though there is a long line of people waiting to get that kind of care.”
To address those staffing shortages, Stein asked for pay increases for correctional officers and direct-care staff in his budget proposal last year. But he doesn’t have the power to allocate funds — that’s up to the legislative branch. Republican legislative leaders are at a stalemate and have yet to pass a state budget for the 2025-2027 biennium.
Representatives for Sen. Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) and House Speaker Destin Hall (R-Caldwell) did not respond to NC Newsline’s requests for comment.
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