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Policing Mental Health

This document discusses the need for police to respond to mental health crises with crisis intervention teams rather than the criminal justice system. It notes that mental health crises are common but often do not receive needed care. A crisis intervention team is described as a group of trained law enforcement, mental health providers, and community members focused on rehabilitation rather than punishment. The document cites evidence that crisis intervention teams reduce arrests and injuries while improving trust. It urges police departments to implement such teams to better serve communities based on promising results from programs already in place.

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Rubert LaBounty
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39 views2 pages

Policing Mental Health

This document discusses the need for police to respond to mental health crises with crisis intervention teams rather than the criminal justice system. It notes that mental health crises are common but often do not receive needed care. A crisis intervention team is described as a group of trained law enforcement, mental health providers, and community members focused on rehabilitation rather than punishment. The document cites evidence that crisis intervention teams reduce arrests and injuries while improving trust. It urges police departments to implement such teams to better serve communities based on promising results from programs already in place.

Uploaded by

Rubert LaBounty
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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AP Lang, 4th
10.18.20

Policing Mental Health


Ruby LaBonty

Mental health is important.​ It is ​as​ ​important​ as staying up to date on vaccines, mending

broken bones, or brushing your teeth. Yet, mental health is often overlooked. It’s personal…

private, but that​ doesn’t mean ​it’s​ ​not​ essential.

Mental health crises are not uncommon… In fact, you might have even responded to one

yourself. The National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) defines a crisis as a situation where ​a

person’s behavior puts them at risk of hurting themselves, or someone else​. The right kind of

care during a crisis is ​critical​, but it’s often that those experiencing a crisis do not get the care

that they need. Mental health has become an increasingly pressing issue, affecting many people’s

lives every day. According to NAMI, suicide is the ​10th leading cause ​of death in the United

States for people ​ages 10-24, ​and ​18-22​ veterans die by suicide ​every day​. A study done by the

Treatment Advocacy Center reported that mentally ill people are ​sixteen times​ more likely to be

killed in a police encounter than the average civilian… ​sixteen​ ​times.​ ​ As police, ​you​ are faced

with an ​urgent emergency​ that you are not ​YET​ trained to handle.

In order to protect the safety of the community, something new ​must​ be done. The most

promising solution is to respond to these emergencies with a ​Crisis Intervention Team​.

As described by the organization Mental Health America, a crisis intervention team is a

coordinated group of specially trained law enforcement, mental health providers, and community
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members who are focussed on caring for and rehabilitating those who struggle with mental

illness, ​not​ punishing them with the judicial system. Officers would be trained to recognize

mental illness symptoms, taught specialized de-escalation techniques, and familiarized with the

laws involving healthcare. A crisis intervention team would cut down arrests, as well as injury,

and improve trust between the police and the community. A crisis intervention team is a

necessary​ ​addition​ to the police force.

These specialized teams are ​already​ being implemented around the country, and the

results ​are glowing​. For example, from 2011-2016 the Miami-Dade Crisis Intervention Team

had responded to over ​40,000​ calls without ​hospitalization​, ​or arrest,​ as observed by Mental

Health America.

It’s important as police officers to know how to best serve your community, and when a

crisis intervention team is implemented, ​just​ ​that​ ​happens​. It’s crucial that your department

follows the data and creates a way to better care for those who experience a crisis. The results

are more than promising, ​they are real​. Do your part, and care for the ​community.

Thank you

Works Cited:
Navigating a Mental Health Crisis, National Alliance on Mental Health

Police Responses to Persons With Mental Illness: Going Beyond CIT Training, Henry J. Steadman, Ph.D., and David
Morrissette, Ph.D., L.C.S.W.

Responding To Behavioral Health Crises, Mental Health America

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