Michael T. Compton, Beth Broussard, Mark Munetz, Janet R. Oliva and Amy C. Watson
Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA

Series: Law, Crime and Law Enforcement; Mental Illnesses and Treatments
BISAC: SOC057000; SOC050000

Collaborations between the law enforcement and mental health communities have become vital as law enforcement officers are often first-line responders in crisis situations involving individuals with mental illnesses. A nationally recognized example of a pre-booking jail diversion program, the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) model, was developed in 1988 following a fatal police shooting of a person with a history of a mental illness. The model is a close collaboration among law enforcement, the mental health system, and advocates (i.e., people with mental illnesses and their families). CIT programs provide specialized training for police officers to assist them in safely and effectively responding to individuals with mental illnesses and obtaining appropriate services that will adequately address these individuals’ needs in lieu of incarceration when appropriate. The published Crisis Intervention Team Core Elements outlines fundamental elements necessary for the implementation of a successful CIT program. Recently, CIT training has expanded to include groups such as detention officers and other jail personnel, non-patrol law enforcement officials, and civilians. Furthermore, in recognition of the growth of CIT beyond the United States (U.S.), Crisis International Team (CIT) International, Inc. was created with the mission of promoting and implementing CIT on an international level. Preliminary research examining officer-, subject-, and community/ systems-level effects of CIT, as well as disposition-related research, has provided preliminary support for the program’s effectiveness. A number of theoretical models have been proposed to better understand these promising effects. However, unresolved controversies affect CIT programs, such as implementation of some versus all of the Core Elements, the amount of funding appropriate to be given to police-based programs rather than mental health services, the ideal proportion of the patrol force to be trained in CIT, and the debated importance of officers’ volunteering for the training. Some barriers and challenges include inadequate training of emergency communications personnel, poor availability of psychiatric emergency receiving facilities with a ―no-refusal‖ policy, complications in CIT implementation in rural settings, and the costs related to implementation and maintenance of a CIT program. Despite these challenges, the CIT model appears to represent a beneficial police practice, positively impacting police officers, individuals with serious mental illnesses who are in crisis, those individuals’ families, and society at large. As such, CIT is a unique and important collaboration between law enforcement and mental health with the vital aim of improving safety, increasing access to treatment services, and reducing unnecessary incarceration of individuals with serious mental illnesses.

**Order the printed version and SAVE 50% on the e-book with Print+eBook**