Roundtable: Policing Mental Health Crises

Session Submission Type: Roundtable Session

Abstract/Description

Police encounters with persons with mental health issues can be difficult to navigate. Police must balance their responsibility to care for the person in crisis with maintaining the safety and security of the communities they serve. Failure to maintain that balance can lead to either the criminalization of the mentally ill or a diminished perception of safety by members of the community. Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training has been adopted by many police agencies. Mobile crisis teams, composed of police, mental health professionals, and a combination of both, have been used in some jurisdictions to provide additional on-the-ground support for dealing with civilians in mental health crisis. In addition, many agencies also support peer counseling programs for officer mental health concerns, which provides another avenue for members of law enforcement to obtain training and skills to enhance their ability to engage with persons in crisis. This panel will discuss the strengths and limitations of each of these approaches to improving outcomes of incidents involving police interactions with those suffering from mental health crises, bringing together perspectives from both practitioners and academics.

Sub Unit

• Area XI. Roundtables

Discussants

• Charles Andrew Lieberman, University of New Haven

• Nicole Napolitano, Civilian Complaint Review Board

• Andrew Costello, New York Institute of Technology

• Reiner Kroll, Western Connecticut State University

• Jeremiah P. Johnson, University of New Haven

• John DeCarlo, University of New Haven