NCJ Number
179501
Date Published
1988
Length
26 pages
Annotation
This document examines how police handle the mentally ill, public inebriates, and the homeless. It also contains summaries of other articles on topics of interest to criminal justice professionals.
Abstract
The public increasingly calls on law enforcement officers for assistance with people who are mentally ill, drunk in public, and homeless. Peace officers are unique in providing free, around-the-clock service, they have mobility, a legal obligation to respond, and legal authority to detain. To help ease the burden on police officers and deputy sheriffs who must handle special populations, some jurisdictions have created formal networks between law enforcement and social service agencies. This article describes such arrangements in 12 jurisdictions. The document also contains an article on factors in family reporting of child sexual abuse, and summaries of articles on courts; crime prevention/deterrence; criminology; institutional corrections (adult); juvenile justice system; law enforcement; offenses; reference and statistics; and white-collar crime. Table, references