Introduction
The occurrence of an incidence demands the application of measure to ensure such a negative scenario is curbed. Initially, police officers were associated with brutality, and their used force to deal with citizens. At one particular time as police officers were interacting with citizens, they would come across mentally ill persons, and without their knowledge, would end up using unnecessary force. Such cases often resulted in fatal citizen-police interactions. The worst happened when a 27-year old mentally ill citizen was shot to death. It was realized the shot individual was mentally ill and was using cocaine. Following the case, the police force created crisis intervention teams, and have been tasked with the responsibility of deescalating mentally ill health cases. Individuals falling under this calls will avoid arrest and will be subjected to treatment programs. An evaluation of the crisis intervention teams has proved to be beneficial in reducing the use of force by law personnel. The teams have also been useful in directing treatment to the mentally ill offenders.
Crisis Intervention Teams
The teams came about after it was noted most of the use of force by police officers results from the presence of mentally ill offenders. The crisis intervention teams were formed as a police incentive to partner with the community to address the numerous cases of mentally ill offenders. They account for a great proportion of the individuals entering the judicial systems. The primary motive of the crisis intervention teams is to lower the injuries caused by police officers to the mentally ill offenders. It mostly happens when the two come into contact and the police use excessive force ( Taheri, 2016 ). The teams’ functions to redirect the offenders from injuries and possibly facing judicial procedures, and being directed to facilities helpful in stabilizing their conditions. Additionally, the teams have assumed the responsibility of training police officers the best practices to handle mentally ill offenders, without creating a crisis.
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Police crisis intervention teams is a joint program, where the law enforces work with the community, as a strategy to reduce the use of force, injuries, and number of deaths resulting for the contact between mentally ill offenders and the law agencies. As a joint venture, the crisis intervention teams are used to train police officers on the best practices to put in place when addressing mentally ill offenders. Essentially, they are local incentives initiated to oversee the improvement of the response to mentally ill crises.
Initially, the contact between the law agencies and the mentally il was used as the ground to deinstitutionalize police officers. Most of the number of deaths were resulting from the use of force to deal with offenders. It later came to be understood that most of them are indeed mentally ill. A corrective approach was undertaken, to reduce the use of force to deal with mentally ill individuals. Community service agencies joint hands with the police, to handle mentally ill offenders and help them receive professional treatment, rather than using force and aligning them in judicial systems. The crisis intervention teams are directed at ensuring there are reforms in police forces, an element praised for the achievement of remarkable success in the law enforcers.
There are some core elements incorporated in the formation of the crisis intervention teams. The teams are formed in line with the policies set by the criminal justice systems, which have provisions accommodating the mentally ill offenders ( Kirst et al., 2015 ). The first aspect incorporated in the development of crisis intervention teams is the consideration of the ongoing elements. They appreciate the contributions made by the partnership between the mental health department and the law enforcers. The teams have community ownership, with the role of implementing and planning the best approaches to be used to handle the mentally ill offenders.
The last aspect of ongoing elements is the presence of policies and procedures to guide the handling of offenders. The second factor is the deliberation of operational elements. They stipulate the need to have emergency responses to handle the mentally ill offenders, a set curriculum to be followed, and coordinators. The last factor appreciated by the crisis interventions teams is the presence of sustainability elements. They direct the undertaking of intensive research to offers in-service coaching to redirect the wrong acts from mentally ill offenders. The crisis intervention teams have been effective practices guiding the contact between the law agencies and the mentally ill offenders. Such teams have been implemented in Oregon, Halinton, Canada, Vancouver, Toronto, New Mexico, and Texas.
Comparison and Contrast
Two authors developed their perspectives in regard to the formulation and application of the crisis intervention teams. Both authors are on the opinion that the crisis intervention teams are useful in reducing the number of injuries and deaths when police officers come in contact with the mentally ill offenders. Additionally, the two authors maintain that most of the nations are appreciating the contributions of the crisis intervention teams, as they have significant contributions in improving the capacities of the engagement between the law enforcers and the crisis offenders. The author's perspectives compare with regard to the advantages of the application and use of crisis intervention teams. They use empirical studies to arrive at the advantage of the teams being effective in addressing the challenges earlier linked to the use of force by police officers ( Fisher & Grudzinskas Jr, 2010 ). The crisis intervention teams are advantageous as they reduce the stigma associated with mentally ill offenders. On the other end, the two authors present similar disadvantages, in that they maintain the use of the crisis intervention teams is mistaking an offender to be mentally ill. This is a drawback of the use of the teams, as offenders, many end up not facing the judicial systems. The authors contrast their policy recommendations based on mental illness stigmatization.
The authors reach the same conclusion, that the crisis intervention teams are effective in reducing the use of force by law enforcers when they come into contact with mentally ill offenders. Additionally, their conclusion on the essence of training police officers is a split. Their perspectives are alike as they advocate for the use of teams to prevent injuries, deaths, and promote the health of the mentally ill offenders. Further, their perspectives are alike with respect to the correlation between mental illness and coping skills. Nonetheless, the authors differ in regard to the flexibility of the mentally ill offenders. The first author maintains the use of the teams is a flexible approach to reversing the mental conditions of the offenders, rather than facing judicial systems. On the other hand, the second author is on the opinion that rehabilitation of the mentally ill offenders is the best approach to handling them.
The conclusions made by the two authors were that there are numerous benefits of using crisis intervention teams. They are effective practices to reduce the initialization of the law agencies and associating them with the use of force, especially when handling mentally ill offenders ( Franz & Borum, 2011 ). Their conclusions support the presence of stressful situations, demanding the use and application of effective resources, that is, crisis intervention teams. The authors found out that the consideration of the teams was effective in reducing the use of force by police officers. Additionally, the crisis intervention teams are applicable in offering training and treatment to the mentally ill offenders. For instance, in 2008, there were 200 mentally ill offenders, who were handled by the crisis intervention teams. A total of 160 admitted being under substance influence, by the time they came into contact with the police. The teams were effective in mentoring the offenders. The services of the teams are effective in filling the health gaps existing in the community.
Conclusion
Police officers have initially been blamed for their acts. At times, they use force without the knowledge of dealing with a mentally ill offender. It is worth appreciating the services offered by law agencies. They experience stressing situations and issues. The presences of crisis intervention teams makes it possible for police officers to handle and deal with mentally ill offenders, whenever they come into contact. An analysis and evaluation of the articles, brings to light the significance and effectiveness of the crisis intervention teams, especially in addressing a scenario where police officers come into contact with mentally ill offenders. Therefore, crisis intervention teams should be used.
References
Fisher, W. H., & Grudzinskas Jr, A. J. (2010). Crisis intervention teams as the solution to managing crises involving persons with serious psychiatric illnesses: Does one size fit all? Journal of Police Crisis Negotiations , 10 (1-2), 58-71.
Franz, S., & Borum, R. (2011). Crisis intervention teams may prevent arrests of people with mental illnesses. Police practice and research: an international journal , 12 (3), 265-272.
Kirst, M., Francombe Pridham, K., Narrandes, R., Matheson, F., Young, L., Niedra, K., & Stergiopoulos, V. (2015). Examining the implementation of mobile, police-mental health crisis intervention teams in a large urban center. Journal of mental health , 24 (6), 369-374.
Taheri, S. A. (2016). Do crisis intervention teams reduce arrests and improve officer safety? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Criminal Justice Policy Review , 27 (1), 76-96.
