NCJ Number
134110
Journal
Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology Volume: 6 Issue: 2 Dated: (October 1990) Pages: 8-13
Date Published
1990
Length
6 pages
Annotation
Information from a community mental health center in southern Illinois was used to determine whether police officers will use the services of community mental health workers in emergencies that involve a combination of mental health and criminal justice issues.
Abstract
The mental health center had linkage agreements with police agencies and county sheriff's departments in two counties. The agreements stated that trained community mental health staff were available for consultation on mental health emergencies 24 hours a day and would provide on-site consultations. Data from the 107 consultations that took place during a 1-year period showed that 43.9 percent took place at county jails, most often for persons arrested or convicted of felonies. The majority of conferences outside county jails concerned suicide threats. Consultations also occurred when individuals were publicly acting out and were delusional or psychotic. Except for suicide threats, police officers contacted mental health workers more for nonemergencies than for emergencies. Thus, they served as outreach workers for the community mental health center. The linkage agreement eliminates the need for police decisions regarding inpatient psychiatric treatment. However, police officers continue to arrest individuals with easily identifiable symptoms of mental illness. Tables, footnotes, and 20 references