This study aimed to explore the experiences of people with mental illnesses and their collaterals in the jails of North Carolina. Participants were interviewed by study personnel using semistructured interviews. Study recommendations that emerged for changes to increase the care that inmates with mental illnesses receive included: (1) conceptualizing care at all stages of incarceration process; (2) involving family when possible, reworking privacy procedures; and (3) increasing skills for working with treatment-resistant populations throughout the process. As part of a sister study, the authors were successful in stimulating policy change at the state level and describe this process.
