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Date: April 30, 2024 Tue
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Results for police services for the mentally ill
16 results foundAuthor: Reuland, Melissa Title: Improving Responses to People with Mental Illnesses: Tailoring Law Enforcement Initiatives to Individual Jurisdictions Summary: A growing number of law enforcement agencies have partnered with mental health agencies and community groups to design and implement innovative programs to improve encounters involving people with mental illnesses. These specialized policing responses are designed to produce better outcomes from these encounters by training responders to use crisis de-escalation strategies and prioritize treatment over incarceration when appropriate. This publication provides guidance for jurisdictions that want to improve such interactions. Details: New York: Justice Center, Council of State Governments Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance; Police Executive Research Forum Year: 0 Country: United States URL: Shelf Number: 117873 Keywords: Mental Health ServicesPolice Services for the Mentally Ill |
Author: Herrington, Victoria Title: The Impact of the NSW Police Force Mental Health Intervention Team: Final Evaluation Report. Summary: In January 2008, the New South Wales Police Force commenced a pilot program to provide mental health training to a number of frontline officers in three Local Area Commands. Training was developed and delivered by a central Mental Health Intervention Team Command during 2008, and provided officers with guidance and enhanced skills for dealing with individuals displying mental health-related symptoms. The program aimed to improve police capacity to respond efficiently and safey to such incidents. This report presents the findings from a two-year evaluation of the program. Details: Manly, NSW: Charles Sturt University, Centre for Inland Health and Austrailan Graduate School of Policing, 2009. 87p. Source: Internet Resource Year: 2009 Country: Australia URL: Shelf Number: 118595 Keywords: Mentally Ill OffendersPolice Services for the Mentally IllPolice Training |
Author: Wilson-Bates, Fiona Title: Lost in Transition: How a Lack of Capacity in the Mental Health System in Failing Vancouver's Mentally Ill and Draining Police Resources Summary: The purpose of this report is to provide a quantitative analysis of the prevalence of Vancouver Police Department (VPD) calls for service that involve mentally ill clients; to identify the significant factors that contribute to the frequency of these incidents, and the potential consequences for a mentally ill person who comes into contact with police; and to describe the capacity gaps in the mental health system’s response to the mentally ill from a police perspective. Details: Vancouver, BC: Vancouver Police Department, 2008. 59p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 7, 2011 at: http://vancouver.ca/police/assets/pdf/reports-policies/vpd-lost-in-transition.pdf Year: 2008 Country: Canada URL: http://vancouver.ca/police/assets/pdf/reports-policies/vpd-lost-in-transition.pdf Shelf Number: 120701 Keywords: Mental Health ServicesMentally IllPolice Services for the Mentally Ill |
Author: Wood, Jennifer: Swanson, Jeffrey Title: Police Interventions with Persons Affected by Mental Illnesses: A Critical Review of Global Thinking and Practice Summary: Mental illness and substance abuse disorders constitute a global public health problem of enormous proportions. International epidemiological studies estimate that nearly 25% of the world’s population suffers from a diagnosable psychiatric or addiction disorder at some time in their lives, and mental illnesses are the leading cause of disability in the United States (US), Canada, and Europe (World Health Organization [WHO], 2001). In the US, approximately 6% of adults at any given time meet criteria for a serious mental illness that interferes with at least one important activity of daily living (Kessler et al., 1996). Moreover, mental health and substance abuse problems often overlap, as nearly 30% of people with a mental illness also have an addiction disorder (Regier et al., 1990). Until recent decades, large numbers of people who suffered from chronic, severe, and disabling mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder were interned in public psychiatric hospitals for lengthy periods—often against their will and sometimes for life. In the US, by the middle of the 20th century approximately 500,000 people were confined to public mental hospitals and receiving mainly custodial care (Appelbaum, 1994). Beginning in the 1960s, however, a massive process of ‘deinstitutionalization’ unfolded and today there are fewer than 50,000 people in these institutions (Manderscheid, Atay, & Crider, 2009). Shortly after the ‘deinstitutionalization period,’ the US embarked on a quite different project of social control through incarceration. Between 1982 and 2007, the population of prisons and jails rose from 612,000 to 2.3 million (Pew Charitable Trusts, 2009). The increase in people held in correctional institutions has been accompanied by a similar rise in the number of people living in the community on probation and parole, now more than 5.1 million (Pew Charitable Trusts, 2009). To an unfortunate extent, ‘deinstitutionalization’ from the mental health system led to ‘reinstitutionalization’ through criminal justice. Indeed, there are now more people with serious mental disorders to be found in the largest US city jails than in any psychiatric hospital (Frank & McGuire, in press; Torrey, 1995). The historic demise of ‘the asylum’ was driven by a combination of legal and fiscal reforms, advances in pharmacotherapy, and a shift in therapeutic ideology in favor of community-based care and recovery for people with psychiatric disabilities. However, the closing of large public mental hospitals proved far easier than replacing them with an effective system of care and support in the community. The promise of definitive treatment or cure with better medications ‘just around the corner’ remains elusive. Persons with ongoing, disabling psychiatric conditions now reside in every community. A small, but visible, proportion of persons with serious mental illnesses revolve in and out of acute psychiatric hospitals, are chronically unemployed, are sometimes homeless, and are frequently involved with the police and the criminal justice system. Developing and implementing cost-effective interventions to improve the lives of people with serious mental illnesses in the community remains a challenge for multiple, interfacing service systems, from public health to social welfare to law enforcement, the courts, and corrections. This monograph aims to shed light on one key component of these systems — policing — and specifically the role of police officers in the community as front-line workers who often come into contact with persons with mental illnesses and must respond to their needs with whatever tools lie at hand. We focus on the contexts of the US, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom (UK), all of which are experiencing similar core challenges facing policing in the 21st century, especially in relation to providing effective responses to persons with mental illnesses. There are numerous questions that face the field: How do police manage their multiple, and sometimes conflicting roles in their encounters with persons with mental illnesses? To what extent are police organizations ‘accepting’ and trying to manage this unsought role? What are the current and forward-looking models of training and support for police officers in this work? How effective are these approaches —particularly in times of severe fiscal constraint in public systems—and what evidence is lacking in order to develop better and more cost-effective interventions in the future? We address these questions in this monograph and argue that there is a considerable convergence in thinking around the importance of police in more effectively managing encounters with persons in crisis. Police-led and co-response (police and mental health) crisis intervention models are especially dominant, and have diffused across the globe with great speed. Details: New Brunswick, NJ: Center for Behavioral Health Services & Criminal Justice Research, Rutgers University, 2011. 58p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 4, 2011 at: http://www.temple.edu/cj/people/documents/Monograph_March_2011.pdf Year: 2011 Country: International URL: http://www.temple.edu/cj/people/documents/Monograph_March_2011.pdf Shelf Number: 122986 Keywords: Mental HealthMentally Ill OffendersPolice Services for the Mentally Ill |
Author: Victoria (AUS). Office of Police Integrity Title: Policing People Who Appear to be Mentally Ill Summary: This report sets out the findings of a review by the Office of Police Integrity (OPI) into the way Victoria Police responds to people who appear to have a mental illness. In 2009 the Victorian Auditor General’s Office completed a review into interagency coordination, preparedness and effectiveness in responding to mental health crises. OPI’s review follows on from the Auditor General’s report and assesses whether more could be done to enhance Victoria Police’s responses to people who appear to have a mental illness. The interaction between police and people who appear to be mentally ill is a well- established one. In Victoria the over-representation of people who have a mental illness in fatal police shootings is extensively documented. Although this over-representation remains concerning, it overshadows the more routine nature of interactions between police and people who appear to have a mental illness. These interactions are remarkably frequent. According to recently published research, police in Victoria report that in any average week they regularly come into contact with people who appear to have a mental illness.1 Fifty percent of police reported this occurs one to two times a week, with more than a third of police reporting between three and ten encounters. As well as occurring frequently these interactions are often time consuming and complex in nature. This is not unique to Victoria. As this report sets out, the relatively high proportion of police encounters with people who appear to have a mental illness is in large part the product of deinstitutionalisation. Beginning in the 1960s in Victoria, deinstitutionalisation rapidly escalated in the 1980s and 1990s. Whilst well intentioned, as has been the case internationally, the closure of institutionalised settings did not occur in tandem with adequate provision of community based mental health services. This has led to at times dramatic consequences. An unacceptable over-representation of mentally ill persons in fatal shootings by Victoria Police in the late 1980s and 1990s attests to this. Victoria Police responded to these concerning statistics effectively in the form of Project Beacon in 1996. The key message underpinning the philosophy of this intervention was that the success of an operation will primarily be judged by the extent to which the use of force is avoided or minimised. Following this initiative the effectiveness of this message has at times waned. This review and previous reports by OPI have emphasised this: while it is important to learn lessons, it is incumbent on Victoria Police to ensure that these lessons are remembered. The review included an examination of academic literature about established best practice in delivering policing services to people who appear to have a mental illness. Different models used by police in other jurisdictions are considered in this report. In a context of finite resources to respond to people who appear to be experiencing a mental health crisis, innovative service delivery is required to ensure that responses are effective and efficient. On this measure, Victoria Police has delivered positive initiatives on a trial basis which have improved responsiveness to people in these situations. The Police Ambulance and Clinical Early Response (PACER) program has constituted a unique and effective way to provide onsite assistance to people who appear to have a mental illness while also easing the strain on emergency departments and other mental health services. Notwithstanding this the original PACER program has concluded and its future status is uncertain. A variation was recently trialled in conjunction with the Alfred Hospital and a similar pilot is currently underway at Eastern Health. Any long-term commitment beyond the life of these pilots by the Department of Health or Area Mental Health Services remains uncertain. This emphasises the need for Victoria Police to further consider other frameworks or models to respond to people who appear to have a mental illness. PACER is only one such model. The current position of the Department of Health requires Victoria Police to consider other alternatives. This review considered the recommendations arising from a large scale collaborative research project between Monash University, the Victorian Institute of Forensic Mental Health (Forensicare) and Victoria Police. The ‘Police Responses to the Interface with Mental Disorder’ project investigated Victoria Police practices, policies and procedures in dealing with people who appear to have a mental illness and interactions with other mental health services. One of the key recommendations arising from this project was the establishment of a dedicated facility where people experiencing mental health crises can be taken for immediate assessment and care. OPI’s review has considered the merits of this recommendation. The establishment of such a facility could promote better care and emergency treatment for people who have an acute mental episode in metropolitan Melbourne, while easing the strain on resources that police and some emergency departments currently experience. Although this review focused on the police response to people who appear to be mentally ill, the findings of this review indicate that there is still room for improving the understanding across agencies about the different roles and responsibilities police, paramedics, hospital emergency department staff and mental health practitioners have in these situations. Police have a key responsibility to ensure the safety of people threatening harm to themselves or others. Where the person threatening harm appears to be mentally ill, the focus of any response should be on health and harm minimisation principles. In this context health practitioners have a primary responsibility to respond. The role of police is to support their response. For example, police may be required to take action to ensure the safety and welfare of not only the person appearing to be mentally ill but also mental health service providers, paramedics, staff in hospital emergency departments and members of the public in the vicinity of the person. Experience demonstrates the best responses to people experiencing a mental health crisis in the community require multi-agency cooperation and collaboration at a local, regional and state level. Ensuring cooperation across health, welfare, community support and emergency services and the provision of professional, timely and safe responses to people who have a mental illness and their carers is not the sole responsibility of police. It is a whole-of-government issue requiring whole-of-government consideration and response. Details: Melbourne: Office of Police Integrity, 2012. 60p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 20, 2012 at: www.opi.vic.gov.au Year: 2012 Country: Australia URL: Shelf Number: 126943 Keywords: Mentally Ill OffendersMentally Ill Persons (Australia)Police Services for the Mentally Ill |
Author: Reuland, Melissa Title: Statewide Law Enforcement/ Mental Health Efforts Strategies to Support and Sustain Local Initiatives Summary: Nationwide, law enforcement agencies in rapidly increasing numbers have embraced specialized policing responses (SPRs, pronounced “spurs”) to people with mental illnesses. These efforts, which prioritize treatment over incarceration when appropriate, are planned and implemented in partnership with community service providers and citizens. The two most prevalent SPR approaches are Crisis Intervention Teams (CITs) and police-mental health co-responder teams. CITs, pioneered by the Memphis (TN) Police Department, draw on a self-selected cadre of officers trained to identify signs and symptoms of mental illness, to de-escalate any situation involving an individual who appears to have a mental illness, and to connect that person in crisis to treatment. The second approach, co-responder teams, forged by the Los Angeles (CA) Police Department and San Diego County (CA) Sheriff’s Department, pairs officers with mental health professionals to respond to calls involving people in mental health crisis. Other law enforcement agencies have modified or combined these strategies, but a common goal holds for all forms of specialized responses: increased safety for all individuals involved. Evidence suggests that when SPRs are appropriately implemented, departments show a decrease in officer injuries and improvements in connecting the individual involved to mental health treatment. Since the groundbreaking efforts in Memphis and California began, these programs have spread steadily to new communities, but largely by word of mouth or in response to a policeinvolved tragedy. Traditionally, practitioners and advocates have traveled to SPR locations and then adapted approaches to their own jurisdictions’ needs. But as the demand for technical assistance has increased, it has become impractical for interested communities to learn directly from the program originators. Furthermore, many agencies lack the capacity to send a team to another jurisdiction as well as the expertise to tailor the program to their distinct needs. As a result, individual states have responded to the growing need to support SPRs by assigning a public agency or nonprofit the lead role in helping local communities to design, implement, and sustain effective responses to people with mental illnesses. In other instances, this responsibility has been taken over by state government, which is especially well structured to meet the needs of interested local agencies and to make resources and technical assistance available. Specifically, state legislatures create the laws that authorize police powers for emergency mental health evaluations and custody. The allocation of many mental health resources is coordinated at the state level as well. State-level organizations have been well positioned to create incentives for innovative partnerships among law enforcement agencies, the community, and the mental health system. These incentives have distinct benefits over state mandates that may not include adequate funding support. Coordinating SPR efforts statewide can also facilitate regional pooling of resources, which helps ensure that smaller or rural agencies can implement this type of program. This paper describes how statewide coordination efforts are structured in three states—Connecticut, Ohio, and Utah—and synthesizes their successes and challenges in coordinating this work. The purpose of the document is to provide readers with a description of how statewide efforts can be organized and play a role in supporting SPRs within their borders. Details: New York: Council of State Governments, Justice Center, 2012. 66p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 25, 2013 at: http://consensusproject.org/documents/0000/1613/1.8.12_Statewide_LE_MH_web.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://consensusproject.org/documents/0000/1613/1.8.12_Statewide_LE_MH_web.pdf Shelf Number: 127407 Keywords: Crisis InterventionMental Health Services (U.S.)Mentally Ill OffendersPolice Services for the Mentally IllPolice Specialized Units |
Author: King, Salena Marie Title: The Impact of Crisis Intervention Team Training on Law Enforcement Officers: An Evaluation of Self-Efficacy and Attitudes Toward People with Mental Illness Summary: Law enforcement officers (LEOs) routinely respond to calls involving people with mental illness (PMI) in crisis. While LEOs have come to expect a wide spectrum of needs for assistance from PMI, there is often little to no training provided for responding to these encounters. This is an alarming fact given that 7 to 10 % of all law enforcement contacts involve PMI. It has been found that the lack of training leaves LEOs perceiving themselves as ill-equipped to manage mental health-related situations, creating a great deal of anxiety. The insufficient training has also been determined to negatively impact PMI receiving help, either through exacerbation of the problem or a dismissal of the crisis. As an answer to these difficulties, Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training was developed to better inform officers about mental illnesses, provide skills useful for these encounters, and prevent unnecessary arrests. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the impact of CIT training on officers’ (1) perceptions of self-efficacy when working with PMI and (2) attitudes toward PMI. The Self-Efficacy Scale (SES), designed specifically to assess the self-efficacy of LEOs when encountering a person with mental illness, was administered to 58 officers pre/post CIT training as well as 40 officers with no CIT training. Additionally, the Community Attitudes Toward the Mentally Ill (CAMI) was administered to the same groups of officers in order to measure attitudes along the four subscales of Authoritarianism, Benevolence, Social Restrictiveness, and Community Mental Health Ideology (CMHI). It was hypothesized that CIT training would significantly increase LEOs’ perceived self-efficacy when working with PMI, result in significantly more positive attitudes toward people with mental illness, and that LEOs with no CIT training would not significantly differ from officers assessed at the pre-CIT stage. Results, obtained through the use of an ANOVA, indicate that officers who participated in CIT training achieved a significant increase in perceived self-efficacy from pre to post measures. Contrary to expectations, a significant difference was found between officers who did not choose to participate in CIT training and officers assessed at pre-CIT – it was indicated that non-CIT officers reported a higher degree of perceived self-efficacy. Alternatively, there was no significant difference found between non-CIT officers and pre-CIT officers on measures of attitudes toward PMI. Through the use of a MANOVA, it was determined that CIT training effected the desired changes of increasing benevolent and community-inclusive attitudes toward PMI, as well as decreasing socially restrictive attitudes. The prediction that CIT training would decrease authoritarian attitudes toward PMI was not supported. Implications for these outcomes are discussed along with recommendations for law enforcement agencies and mental health advocates. Details: Auburn, AL: Auburn University, 2011. 131p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed April 4, 2013 at: http://etd.auburn.edu/etd/bitstream/handle/10415/2580/Salena%20King%20Dissertation%20Final%20Draft.pdf?sequence=2 Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://etd.auburn.edu/etd/bitstream/handle/10415/2580/Salena%20King%20Dissertation%20Final%20Draft.pdf?sequence=2 Shelf Number: 128254 Keywords: Crisis InterventionMentally Ill OffendersPolice Attitudes and BehaviorsPolice Services for the Mentally Ill |
Author: Independent Commission on Mental Health and Policing Title: Independent Commission on Mental Health and Policing Report Summary: The Independent Commission on Mental Health and Policing was set up in September 2012 at the request of the Metropolitan Police Commissioner. Terms of reference and membership are attached at Appendix 1 on page 68. The Commission’s brief was to review the work of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) with regard to people who have died or been seriously injured following police contact or in police custody and to make recommendations to inform MPS conduct, response and actions where mental health is, or is perceived to be, a key issue. While reports like this cannot take away the anguish families have suffered, it is the hope of the Commission, and the duty of those who receive this report, to ensure that the recommendations are implemented in the name of the families as citizens who have lost loved ones in terrible circumstances. By doing so, a level of reassurance can be given to the families that others may not suffer the same loss. Although the Commission was focused on the MPS, the issues identified are national and the recommendations are likely to be applicable to all forces across the country. The Commission independently examined 55 MPS cases covering a five-year period (September 2007 — September 2012). As some cases are still to receive judicial findings in those reviewed, we have been careful to avoid making any comments that would prejudice future findings. All cases, therefore, have been made anonymous. We focused on the roles and responsibilities of the MPS in dealing with issues of mental health in custody, at street encounter and in response to calls made to police, including call handling processes when dealing with members of the public where there is an indication of mental health. 2 Cases within the report are referenced by numbers, rather than initials, to protect the identity of the individuals and families involved. Everything which follows in this report must be seen through the lens that mental health is part of the core business of policing. The role of the police is not a clinical one but mental health issues are common in the population and will often be found in suspects, victims and witnesses. A person may commit an offence or cause a public disturbance because of their mental health issues. In addition, the police may be first on the scene of a person in mental health crisis or a potential suicide. It therefore cannot be a periphery issue, but must instead inform every day practice. As existing guidance states: ‘Given that police officers and staff are often the gateway to appropriate care — whether of a criminal justice or healthcare nature — it is essential that people with mental ill health or learning disabilities are recognised and assisted by officers from the very first point of contact. The police, however, cannot and indeed are not expected to deal with vulnerable groups on their own.’ Details: The Commission, 2013. 80p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 15, 2013 at: http://www.wazoku.com/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2013/05/Independent_Commission_on_Mental_Health_and_Policing_Main_Report.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.wazoku.com/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2013/05/Independent_Commission_on_Mental_Health_and_Policing_Main_Report.pdf Shelf Number: 128728 Keywords: Mentally Ill OffendersPolice Services for the Mentally IllPolicing (U.K.) |
Author: Great Britain. Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons, the Care Quality Commission and Healthcare Inspectorate Wales Title: A Criminal Use of Police Cells? The use of police custody as a place of safety for people with mental health needs Summary: The police have powers under section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983 to take individuals who are suffering from mental health issues in a public place to a ‘place of safety’ for their protection, and so they can be medically assessed. This review examines the extent to which police custody is used as a place of safety under section 136; and identifies the factors which either enable or inhibit the acceptance of those detained under section 136 into a preferred place of safety, such as a hospital or other medical facility. The joint inspection was carried out by HMIC, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons, the Care Quality Commission and Healthcare Inspectorate Wales. Details: London: HMIC, 2013. 59p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 1, 2013 at: http://www.hmic.gov.uk/media/a-criminal-use-of-police-cells-20130620.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.hmic.gov.uk/media/a-criminal-use-of-police-cells-20130620.pdf Shelf Number: 129234 Keywords: Mentally Ill Persons (U.K.)Police Services for the Mentally Ill |
Author: Boyce, Jillian Title: Mental health and contact with police in Canada, 2012 Summary: Canadians can come into contact with the police for a variety of reasons, not all of which are criminal in nature. Previous research has indicated that most people with a mental health disorder do not commit criminal acts; however, contact with police is common among this population (Brink et al. 2011; Coleman and Cotton 2014). Furthermore, the frequency of such interactions has been said to be on the rise in recent decades given policy and legislative changes (Canadian Mental Health Association BC Division 2005; Vancouver Police Department 2013; Lurigio and Watson 2010). For instance, while the process of deinstitutionalization shifted the treatment of mental health disorders from a hospital setting to a community setting, it has been argued that community based supports may not have expanded at the same capacity to make up for the loss of institutional services, which can leave police as the first responders in crisis situations or after regular health facility hours (Coleman and Cotton 2014; Canadian Mental Health Association BC Division 2005). Information on police interactions with people who have a mental health disorder is a priority for various reasons. Firstly, they can be among the most unpredictable and dangerous situations to which officers must respond, and can be equally, if not more, dangerous for the person with the disorder (Chappell 2008; Kerr et al. 2010; Coleman and Cotton 2014; Canadian Mental Health Association BC Division 2005). Secondly, while the majority of such interactions are handled without harm to the officer or the person with a disorder, these interactions can be quite time-consuming, often utilizing a large portion of resources not only from police services, but from the health and social sectors as well (Lurigio and Watson 2010). Currently in Canada there is no standardized framework or guidelines for collecting data on police interactions with people who have a mental health disorder. While some police services independently publish figures on this subject, much of it is not comparable across the various jurisdictions due to differences in definitions, as well as differences in the methods used to collect the information. In the absence of nationally representative data relating to individuals with a mental health disorder and their contact with police, the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey - Mental Health (CCHS-MH) provides a starting point for filling this gap (see Text Box 1). The 2012 CCHS-MH represents the fourth CCHS cycle with a specialized focus (Statistics Canada 2013). While there was a previous focused cycle in 2002 on the mental health and well-being of Canadians, most disorders measured in the 2012 CCHS-MH are not comparable to the disorders measured by the survey in 2002 (Pearson et al. 2013). In addition, questions about respondents' contact with police were not asked in 2002. This Juristat article utilizes data from the 2012 CCHS-MH to report on the prevalence of mental and/or substance use disorders in Canada in 2012, along with characteristics common among those with a mental or substance use disorder. In addition, it examines in detail the type and frequency of contact that those with a disorder have with police, and how that contact differs from those without a disorder. Details: Ottawa: Statistics Canada, 2015. 25p. Source: Internet Resource: Juristat 35, no. 1: Accessed June 3, 2015 at: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2015001/article/14176-eng.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Canada URL: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2015001/article/14176-eng.pdf Shelf Number: 135855 Keywords: Mental HealthMentally Ill PersonsPolice Policies and PracticesPolice Services for the Mentally Ill |
Author: Butler, Amanda Title: Mental Illness and the Criminal Justice System: A Review of Global Perspectives and Promising Practices Summary: Police officers are often the first point of contact for people living with mental health issues. The rationale for police to intervene in the lives of persons with mental illness (PMI)1 stems from two common law principles: power and authority of police to protect the safety of the community, and the parens patriae doctrine which grants state protection for citizens with disabilities such as the acutely mentally ill (Finn & Stalans, 2002; Lamb, Weinberger, & DeCuir, 2002; Teplin, 2000). Many police officers have expressed concern about the difficulties they encounter in providing assistance to this population and have indicated that they do not feel adequately trained or would like additional training in effective response (Watson & Angell, 2007). Studies indicate that these interactions can be incredibly time consuming and frustrating for both police and persons with mental illness (Durbin, Lin, & Zaslavska, 2010). Efforts to improve police officers' abilities to respond to persons with mental illness are being initiated in jurisdictions globally. These efforts include crisis intervention teams, mobile mental health cars, and a range of educational programs. The US has been a forerunner in the development of police-led and co-response models which have spread rapidly across the US and other western jurisdictions. Many of these efforts have incorporated the perspectives of multiple stakeholders into planning and implementing interventions, but minimal investment has been dedicated to evaluations for effectiveness. These programs would benefit from both rigorous evaluation and a well-developed understanding of interactions between police officers and persons with mental illness. Law enforcement agencies would also benefit from knowledge of "what's working" in other jurisdictions with similar environmental characteristics. This knowledge can help isolate the essential components of effective police response that can be disseminated alone, or as components of a more extensive program. The overall objective of this paper is thus twofold. I begin with a preliminary review of the literature addressing the nature, prevalence and dynamic of interactions between persons with mental illness and law enforcement. This includes the intersections between mental illness, substance abuse and homelessness, which are particularly relevant to policing. The latter half of the paper will be dedicated to law enforcement responses, focusing on programs that have the specific goal of improving response and treatment access. The jurisdictions studied for this review will be predominantly Canada and the United States, and to a lesser extent, Australia and the United Kingdom. There appears to be considerable convergence in attitude amongst all four jurisdictions around the importance of police in effectively managing persons in crisis. Despite the increasing number of programs to improve the interactions of police with persons with mental illness, good evaluations are limited. As well, the objectives of such programs are often vague and difficult to measure. Generally, it appears that effective programs have reduced arrest rates, reduced injuries to both persons with mental illness (PMI) and police, reduced response times, increased coordination with mental health services and increased appropriate referrals to hospital and various community-based agencies. However programs have generally not reduced recidivism, unless the referral is to more than regular mental health services and includes cognitive behavioural training and stable housing. Details: Vancouver, BC: International Centre for Criminal Law Reform and Criminal Justice Policy, 2014. 48p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 8, 2015 at: http://icclr.law.ubc.ca/sites/icclr.law.ubc.ca/files/publications/pdfs/Mental%20Illness%20and%20the%20Criminal%20Justice%20System_Butler_ICCLR_0.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Canada URL: http://icclr.law.ubc.ca/sites/icclr.law.ubc.ca/files/publications/pdfs/Mental%20Illness%20and%20the%20Criminal%20Justice%20System_Butler_ICCLR_0.pdf Shelf Number: 136964 Keywords: Crisis ManagementMental Health ServicesMental IllnessMentally Ill OffendersPolice Services for the Mentally IllPolice Training |
Author: Cloud, David Title: First Do No Harm: Advancing Public Health in Policing Practices Summary: Millions of medically vulnerable and socially marginalized people cycle through the criminal justice system each year due to serious structural problems entrenched in American society. The absence of a coherent and effective social safety net means that people lack access to physical and mental health care, social services, and housing options in their communities. This report, First Do No Harm: Advancing Public Health in Policing Practices, details the cultural divide among system actors that amplify and sustain these problems and offers recommendations on how law enforcement policymakers and practitioners - in collaboration with public health officials and harm reduction advocates - can enhance both public safety and community health. Details: New York: Vera Institute of Justice, 2015. 28p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 13, 2016 at: http://www.vera.org/sites/default/files/resources/downloads/public-health-and-policing-v2.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://www.vera.org/sites/default/files/resources/downloads/public-health-and-policing-v2.pdf Shelf Number: 137570 Keywords: Mentally Ill PersonsPolice Policies and PracticesPolice Services for the Mentally IllPublic Health |
Author: Heslop, Lisa Title: Trends in Police Contact with Persons with Mental Illness Summary: Since the 1960s, one worrying offshoot of de‐institutionalization of mental health services has been a marked increase in contact between persons with mental illness (PMI) and the criminal justice system. The criminalization of PMI is well documented. Police contact with PMI is much higher than the prevalence of mental illness in the population; police use informal disposition less frequently with PMI; PMI have a higher arrest rate than the general population and PMI are arrested and jailed for relatively minor offences at a higher rate than their non‐mentally ill counter-parts. When the process of de‐institutionalization was announced in 1999, the London Police Service collaborated with researchers from the University of Western Ontario, the London Health Sciences Centre, and key community‐based service providers to track and explore unintended consequences of de‐institutionalization from the perspective of contact between the police and PMI. This project received initial funding from the Donner Foundation and later formed the basis for the Consortium of Applied Research and Evaluation in Mental Health (CAREMH), funded by the Change Foundation in 2003. The premise of this project was that a lack of community-based services for people with mental illness places an increased demand upon police whose powers are based within two legal principles: 1. the police power function - to ensure the safety and welfare of the public, and 2. parens patriae, which involves protection of disabled citizens. Application of these principles is not intended to be therapeutic and therein lies the inherent problem of increased contact between the police and persons with mental illness Details: London, Ontario: [London Police Service, 2013. 7p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 7, 2017 at: http://capg.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Trends-in-Police-Contact-with-Persons-with-Mental-Illness-Report-for-LPSB-2013.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Canada URL: http://capg.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Trends-in-Police-Contact-with-Persons-with-Mental-Illness-Report-for-LPSB-2013.pdf Shelf Number: 147604 Keywords: Mental Health ServicesMentally Ill OffendersMentally Ill PersonsPolice Services for the Mentally Ill |
Author: Wiebe, Daryl Title: Vancouver Police Mental Health Strategy: A comprehensive approach for a proportional police response to persons living with mental illness Summary: The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) has been proactive over the past 30 years regarding incidents involving mental health, implementing a number of programs and initiatives to improve outcomes relating to police interactions with persons living with mental illness. In 1978, the VPD implemented 'Car 87,' an integrated response model partnering a police officer with a mental health professional. That program continues today, and has served as a model for many other police agencies to copy. It has been further augmented with other initiatives to focus on youth and chronic offenders, and more specialized mental health programs. Over the past five years, the VPD has publicly reported on the dramatic increase in the incidence of police interactions with persons living with mental illness (see Appendix - A). There has also been a number of high-profile incidences of violent crime associated with an apparent mental health factor, highlighting gaps in the continuum of care and in the system generally. That is not to say that mental illness is a causal factor in violent crime. Rather, persons living with mental illness are more likely to be a victim of crime, rather than the perpetrator. These drivers have led to the VPD enhancing its service delivery and actively participating in broader multi-disciplinary teams, with health care providers, to deliver proper community-based mental health support for those in need. While these initiatives have all proven valuable in terms of client needs and reduced police interaction, and can each be supported as effective through evidence-based research, a broader Mental Health Strategy will serve as an overarching approach for the VPD. It is intended to account for the significant impact that can result from persons living with mental illness coming into contact with the police, and set forth a framework on how the VPD models its interaction with this segment of the population. In addition, it is important to acknowledge that most mental-health-related calls to the police involve persons with concurrent disorders - a mental illness and substance abuse problems. This Mental Health Strategy is framed around the core values of the VPD, and the principles of justification, proportionality and intrusiveness. It is designed to provide clear and concise information about the VPD's position and intent, and to serve as a framework to support operational deployment, organizational partnerships, education and training initiatives, and a commitment to the community relative to its interactions with persons living with mental illness. Finally, this Mental Health Strategy was not developed in isolation. The VPD has consulted with partners in the mental health community, in an effort to include their perspectives on this jointly-shared social challenge. Input was received from numerous stakeholders and partner organizations, including Vancouver Coastal Health, the Canadian Mental Health Association, the City of Vancouver, and mental health professionals from St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver General Hospital, and UBC Psychiatry. In addition, a consultation session with the Persons with Lived Experience Committee, Mayor's Task Force on Mental Health and Addiction resulted in meaningful feedback from this affected population. Details: Vancouver, BC: Vancouver Police Department, 2016. 34p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 6, 2018 at: http://vancouver.ca/police/assets/pdf/reports-policies/mental-health-strategy.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Canada URL: http://vancouver.ca/police/assets/pdf/reports-policies/mental-health-strategy.pdf Shelf Number: 149708 Keywords: Mental HealthMentally Ill PersonsPolice Policies and PracticesPolice Services for the Mentally Ill |
Author: Adelman, Judith Title: Study in Blue and Grey: Police Interventions with People with Mental Illness: A Review of Challenges and Responses Summary: Police throughout North America are responding to a significant number of 911 calls involving people who have a mental illness. In the vast majority of incidents, such calls are resolved without incident. However, sometimes the results are the death or injury of the police officer, the person who is ill, and/or another person. When this happens it has prolonged negative effects on the individuals and communities involved. When lives are lost, they cannot be reclaimed. Whether the result is injury or death, it has longstanding implications for the persons with mental illness, the family, police, and to all who survive the incident. In October 2000, the BC Chief Coroner issued a report following an inquest. A man who was distressed and suffering from a mental illness began acting violently in the emergency department of a BC hospital. The police were called and as a result of the police action, the man was killed. The Coroner made a number of recommendations to various governments Ministries. One of the Coroner's many recommendations was that police be provided training with respect to dealing with people with a mental illness in a non-confrontational manner. Because people are so complex and situations can vary so significantly, it may not be possible to get to the point where there are no injuries or deaths. However, the common vision requires that we look for ways to reduce injury and death by improving the responses of the police and mental health systems while recognizing already-existing, effective programs that make a difference. Currently, there are a number of key reform initiatives in various locations in North America. This paper is intended to build on that work by providing relevant information regarding these initiatives that would enable the partners within the mental health and criminal justice systems here in BC to plan more effectively, and to improve their system of response to people with mental illness who are in crisis. The specific objectives of the project are to: - Find out what kind of training is offered to police in different jurisdictions to determine the common program elements, and to attempt to identify the most effective components - Review the literature to determine what service delivery models are being used by police in various jurisdictions to intervene in crises - Determine the impacts of the various programs: for example, whether they reduce injuries, are helpful to people with mental illness and to police etc. - Examine recommendations from reviews of police actions - Determine key aspects and key strategies for implementation; that is, those key factors that contribute to the establishment of effective intervention programs This report relies on published research and reports, as well as interviews with individuals who work for or with police departments, including mental health professionals. It also includes information gained from Coroner's reports and interviews with individuals who participated in inquiries. Part One of the report looks at the nature of the problem. It begins in Section A by looking at why more people with a mental illness are coming into contact with the police, describing a number of factors that have contributed to this trend, including changes in the mental health delivery system, changes within the police force and the move towards 'community policing.' Then, in Section B, the report looks at some of the factors that create barriers to effective police response to persons with mental illness. Next, Section C looks at two key issues that have resulted from this state of affairs: criminalization and injury or death of persons with mental illness (as well as serious personal consequences for the police officers involved). The report then examines the factors that have caused police to change their practices. In Part Two, we look at solutions. Section A of Part Two looks at different models of police programs that were developed to assist individuals who are in psychiatric crisis, and identifies the common issues that each program addresses in various ways. Section B looks at available outcome research, including the relative strengths and weaknesses of the models. In Part 3 we look at conclusions and recommendations for action in British Columbia Details: Vancouver: Canadian Mental Health Association, 2003. 40p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 9, 2018 at: https://cmha.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/policereport.pdf Year: 2003 Country: Canada URL: https://cmha.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/policereport.pdf Shelf Number: 149740 Keywords: Mentally Ill PersonsPolice Services for the Mentally IllPolice TrainingPolice-Citizen Interactions |
Author: Frankham, Emma Title: Culpability Without Power: Nonprofit Narratives Relating to Calling Police in a Mental Health Crisis Summary: While police are often the first responders to mental health crises, little is known about the advice available to people regarding the decision to call police. The author analyzes advice published by thirty-six mental health advocacy organizations. An overarching theme is what the author terms `culpability without power': those who initiate police contact are framed as being culpable for the actions of police, despite also being portrayed as powerless in these situations. Further, the advice provided varies dependent on whether a nonprofit has a contractual relationship with state government(s) in the provision of police mental health training. Details: Working paper, 2018. Source: Internet Resource: accessed May 10, 2018 at: https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/3s8kq/ Year: 2018 Country: United States URL: https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/3s8kq/ Shelf Number: 150139 Keywords: First RespondersMentally Ill PersonsPolice Services for the Mentally IllPolice Training |