Essay Example on Law Enforcement: Dealing With Mental Illness Crisis

Introduction

Law enforcement officers face many challenges daily. One of the biggest challenges is dealing with individual's undergoing a behavioral health crisis as a result of mental illness. Mental illnesses are defined as any "mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder" (National Institute of Mental Health, 2019) which can range from mild to severe where severe cases impair functions and limit major life activities.

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Mental illness disorders often mimic signs of substance use which makes assessing a situation even more challenging for police officers as well as more time-consuming. Since they are often the first responders to encounter these types of crises, it is imperative that police officers are adequately educated and trained for their safety as well as the safety of the individual's experiencing the crisis and society as a whole. Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) programs are community-based approaches to increase positive outcomes.

History

The lawyers who worked in the colonial error were few and had inadequate training and not recognized as members of a profession. The new legal profession in the United States of America shows that the planter class conceived the law as a functioning that supported the social structure. It was problematic for the independent legal profession in 1645 with legislation ordering the lawyers practicing for a fee to be expelled from the office. As a result, in the 18th century, there was a prescribed form of legal education which was based on the form of scriptures as well as imported law. It contributed to the legal knowledge and public skepticism that was useful to all lawyers. As a result, the colony accepted the legitimacy of the legal profession. However, the court was to determine who to take the oath to become a lawyer.

In the mid-18th century, the colonies showed general acceptance to the legal profession although its size remained small. The lawyers engaged in providing legal advice as well as other duties with greater acceptance and security thus developing their professional identity. The professional ethics were developed based on the significance rules governing the professions. Also, the code of conduct was organized based on professional ethics that persuaded the public to entrust their affairs as well as the confidence of their profession. Trust was found to be essential in the professional relationship for the clients to depend on the superior knowledge of the profession and trust the lawyer. Confidentiality of the client's affairs was a fundamental ethical duty which entails respect for privacy as well as acting in the client's best of interest. The legal professional, therefore, has to understand the concept of confidentiality based on the ethical rules as well as the practice of the law.

Literature Review

According to Watson, Swartz, Bohrman, Kriegel, and Draine (2014), police offers to respond to the calls on individuals suffering from mental health issues. The police are therefore the critical gatekeepers of access to the mental health treatments. The findings of the study revealed that implementing the program on Crisis Intervention Team in the United States of America is essential for training the officers thus effectively responding the mental health services. The program is necessary for understanding the perspectives of the police officers while developing the frames of reference for responding to the encounters through training as well as socialization. The study used qualitative interviews to examine the schema of mental and emotional disturbance of the police officer. The interview provided the foundation for developing the needs of the officers based on the various types of scenarios. It was established that the CIT model emphasized the de-escalation skills for reducing resistance as well as the use of force by the police. The CIT programs which entail training are effective in increasing the content related to managing the resistance.

Also, Crisanti, Earheart, Rosenbaum, Tinney, and Duhigg (2019) studied the need for more education in the Crisis Intervention Team. In the study, it was found that the Department of the Albuquerque Police, the first law enforcement urgency, effectively provided extended learning for the CIT which improved its services in terms of mental health concern. Through the CIT ECHO project, the study found that law enforcement agencies were essential for the officers providing mental health services. It was found that continuing learning could be connected through online with CIT experts reviewing the behavioral health issues while debriefing issues of the police. Through an overview of the CIT ECHO project provided the essential elements as well as the implementation of challenges while evaluating its effectiveness.

In the study on the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) basing the need for a revolutionary intervention, Ellis (2014) found that most societies in the United States of America came together with the people experiencing mental health. However, the study found that most of these officers lacked skills to intervene in the crisis effectively. The results showed the need for revolutionary and intervention to resort the excessive force used by the police. The study used quantitative and qualitative methodological designs to examine various international and interdisciplinary studies including criminology as well as sociology. The study aimed at determining the CIT training impacts on the police officers based on their knowledge, perception as well as attitude towards the mental health patients. From the twenty-five police officers who participated in the study, the experience of mental illness was assessed. A quasi-experimental and descriptive design was used in the analysis of data. From the study, it is concluded that the CIT program should be validated based on the innovativeness of the community health program which is essential for law enforcement as well as mental health professionals.

Bonfine, Ritter, and Munetz (2014) examined the Crisis Intervention Team program based on the law enforcement approach for a safe response to the experience of a mental health crisis. The study aimed at identifying various CIT components which are essential for the effectiveness of the CIT program through the transformative effect on the attitudes of the officers. The study examined 57 CIT officers based on how they have experienced the mental health crisis and their respective responses. The professional exposure on the mental health crisis was assessed with the perception of CIT and the confidence of the officers recorded. Also, the abilities, as well as the opinions of the police to respond to the mental health crisis, was examined. The findings of the study revealed that the CIT program positively improved the experience of the officers. Also, it was found that the attitudes towards the CIT improved the safety as well as accessibility services based on the skills and techniques of the officers. The study revealed that preparedness and training of the officers effectively helped them to handle the mental illness individuals positively and with confidence. With positive perceptions, the contact of individuals based on the mental illness improves the attitudes towards the CIT training program for the effectiveness and safety of the individuals.

Recommendation

The need to gain an understanding of the issue of mental illness crisis calls for the CIT program to improve the police officer responding to the mental illness crisis. The growing literature on how the police officers respond to the call on mental illness shows the need to improve the reactions of the police offers through the implementation of the CIT program. The essential elements pertaining the safety as well as an understanding of the officers' schema have to be incorporated into police training while managing the subject of resistance.

Also, there is a need to focus on networking and encourage continuing education through the CIT ECHO designed program that aims at raising the concerns that limit the innovative approach of the officers. As a result of continuing education, more information is shared with the officers based on the local resources, policies as well as laws while comparing and considering the expensive methods.

The practical CIT training should be subjectively and objectively such that police feelings of competency and the implementation of the CIT training are considered. Through the CIT training, the competency of assessment and effectiveness of the officers to respond to the behavioral health crisis is ensured based on law enforcement as well as healthcare professionals. On the other hand, there is a need to ensure communication is enhanced to allow practical assessment of the quality of care as well as competent mental health services. Effective communication is essential for ensuring that the psychiatric nurses keep in contact with the police officers especially when a patient is brought to the psychiatric emergency department. Also, the stakeholder of the CIT model has to expand its qualitative findings to ensure a broad geographical, and demographic range is explored.

References

Bonfine, N., Ritter, C., & Munetz, M. R. (2014). Police officer perceptions of the impact of

Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) programs. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 37(4), 341-350. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijlp.2014.02.004

Crisanti, A. S., Earheart, J. A., Rosenbaum, N. A., Tinney, M., & Duhigg, D. J. (2019). Beyond

crisis intervention team (CIT) classroom training: Videoconference continuing education for law enforcement. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 62(1), 104-110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijlp.2018.12.003

Ellis, H. A. (2014). Effects of a Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Training Program Upon Police

Officers Before and After Crisis Intervention Team Training. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 28(1), 10-16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apnu.2013.10.003

Watson, A. C., Swartz, J., Bohrman, C., Kriegel, L. S., & Draine, J. (2014). Understanding how police officers think about mental/emotional disturbance calls. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 37(4), 351-358. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijlp.2014.02.005