In Episode 61: 988 – The Conversation Continues, Part II, we discuss the use of police in a mental health crisis. Police are often called when a person’s behavior is deemed “scary or unsafe.” In some examples, the reason for that behavior is because the person is suffering from a mental health condition. Police have frequent contact with those suffering from a mental illness. It is estimated that 20% of police activity is spent on mental health related calls.
Policing and Mental Illness
It can be a threat to both officers and to a person with a mental illness when police are called. A person suffering from a mental illness may be out of touch with reality. If they are having a psychotic break, they may be scared, confused, hostile, unable to follow commands or to be reasoned with. The threat of use of force to gain compliance can be additionally traumatizing and the beginning of a long series of legal struggles, jail, and even death when a situation escalates.
To be clear, police are not well trained to provide mental health services. Their role is to enforce the law and catch “bad guys”, not to act as crisis counselors. However, in many examples police are called to a scene because there was no other person to call. Our jails and prisons have become our largest mental health institutions, a role for which they are not designed. Imagine if a person in a physical health crisis (e.g., a heart attack) was taken by police to jail before receiving medical treatment. It is similarly inappropriate to take a person experiencing a mental health crisis to jail as a first response.
A New Tool
Many cities have come to recognize the need for a more nuanced approach to dealing with a person having a mental health crisis. In response, some cities have created teams sometimes known as Crisis Intervention Teams or CITs. Researchers have found that the implementation of CIT programs significantly reduces the number of arrests from mental health problems.
Crisis Intervention Teams
Mobile crisis intervention teams have been established in many areas. These teams usually include specially trained police officers accompanied by mental health professionals. The crisis intervention teams are dispatched to deal with suicide or other mental health crisis situations. Rather than arresting the mentally distressed person, the team attempts to reduce the level of crisis and help them access necessary mental health care. The use of CIT frees up the regular police officers to fulfill their law enforcement role. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), CIT programs have been established in 2700 communities across the nation. Unfortunately, there are not nearly enough response teams to meet the demand for these crisis services, and rural areas may not have this service at all.
In Conclusion…
For those with a mental illness, the police can sometimes present an elevated risk of violence. A person who is mentally ill may be out of touch with reality. They may be unable or unwilling to comply with police demands. Mobile crisis intervention teams have been established to help police improve outcomes for those having a mental health issue. CIT teams are composed of mental health professionals and specially trained police officers; they seek to de-escalate the mental health crisis and avoid putting the person into the criminal justice system. More funding is needed, though, to establish crisis intervention teams throughout the country.