Improving Responses to People with Mental Illnesses: The Essential Elements of a Specialized Law Enforcement-Based Program

摘要

Law enforcement officers throughout the country regularly respond to calls for service that involve people with mental illnesses often without needed supports, resources, or specialized training. These encounters can have significant consequences for the officers, people with mental illnesses and their loved ones, the community, and the criminal justice system. Although these encounters may constitute a relatively small number of an agencys total calls for service, they are among the most complex and time-consuming calls officers must address. At these scenes, front-line officers must stabilize a potentially volatile situation, determine whether the person poses a danger to him- or herself or others, and effect an appropriate disposition that may require a wide range of community supports. In the interests of safety and justice, officers typically take approximately 30 percent of people with mental illnesses they encounter into custody for transport to either an emergency room, a mental health facility, or jail. Officers resolve the remaining incidents informally, often only able to provide a short-term solution to a persons longterm needs. As a consequence, many law enforcement personnel respond to the same group of people with mental illnesses and the same locations repeatedly, straining limited resources and fostering a collective sense of frustration at the inability to prevent future encounters. In response, jurisdictions across the country are exploring strategies to improve the outcomes of these encounters and to provide a compassionate response that prioritizes treatment over incarceration when appropriate.