NCJ Number
163976
Date Published
1996
Length
33 pages
Annotation
This chapter presents background information on crisis intervention procedures in the delivery of a death notification.
Abstract
A "death notification" denotes the broader task and process of delivering a death notice or telling someone of a death. The first half of the chapter addresses the theoretical foundation necessary for understanding a personal crisis and conducting a professional notification. This is achieved in two ways: a theoretical overview of literature pertinent to crisis intervention and a review of literature relevant to death notification in particular. A discussion of the translation of theory into practice centers on crisis intervention phase/stage models, model strengths, and limitations. The second half of the chapter covers the criminal justice aspects of death notification. First, pertinent issues related to death notification for criminal justice practitioners are addressed. Topics in this section include reactions to the death notification task, responsibility for the notification, networking, and special circumstances that might be encountered. Also, a death notification procedure is suggested with the intent of providing a clear delivery strategy. This section also includes a discussion of the death notification situation, roles of both notifier and receiver, the crisis intervention/notification process, and issues related to these elements. Chapter questions, simulated exercises, and 47 references