News of Interest
September 2, 2008
New Resource: Improving Law Enforcement Responses to People with Mental Illnesses
We wanted to let you know of the CSG Justice Center’s latest release about improving law enforcement officers’ responses to people with mental illnesses. We have a diverse group of experts on the issue and related resources, so please contact us if we can help you make use of this information.
Martha Plotkin: (240) 482-8579,
mplotkin@csg.org
Kathy Lynch: (240) 482-8583,
klynch@csg.org
The Council of State Governments Justice Center, in partnership with the Police Executive Research Forum, has identified 10 key ingredients found in successful law enforcement initiatives to provide better outcomes in officers' encounters with individuals with mental illnesses. They are outlined in Improving Responses to People with Mental Illnesses: The Essential Elements of a Specialized Law Enforcement–Based Program.
According to this Bureau of Justice Assistance–supported publication we are now making available, law enforcement officers nationwide regularly respond to calls for service that involve people with mental illnesses. On rare but highly publicized occasions, these incidents result in injury or death for the individual, officer or others at the scene. More often, officers find they spend long periods of time on these complex repeat calls for service only to see the person cycling through the criminal justice system without any positive long-term effect. This publication provides guidance on how to improve these encounters.
A copy of the full press release with the link to the report can be found at http://www.justicecenter.csg.org/media/press_releases.
The Council of State Governments Justice Center is a national nonprofit organization that serves policymakers at the local, state, and federal levels from all branches of government. It provides practical, nonpartisan advice and consensus-driven strategies—informed by available evidence—to increase public safety and strengthen communities.