After a shift in the United States mental illness crisis to the point where it became a criminal justice problem, issues multiplied as officers realized they weren’t trained to handle the situations they were in. Police officers have always dealt with mental health situations, yet for the longest time, they were rarely trained on how to handle a situation with an individual who has a mental illness. This issue has gone as far as to get people with autism wrongfully arrested or shot, resulting in turmoil for all involved. After years of no regulation or training requirements when it comes to mental health, the government finally started to implement PMHC programs, or police mental health programs, to try and aid officers in learning how to correctly handle mental health care. 

The bja.gov (Bureau of Justice Assistance) site goes in-depth about these training programs stating that they can prevent injuries to officers, create fewer uses of force, and decrease injuries to citizens. The Bureau shares how resulting positive outcomes occur in mental health responses from trained officers, “De-escalation strategies are a staple in all PMHC models and enable the trained officer to neutralize a situation without the use of force (or with the use of the least amount of force) that results in a decrease of injuries to both officers and consumers alike.” (US Department of Justice) De-escalation strategies include: respecting one’s space, listening and being non-dismissive of feelings, and even avoiding letting oneself get out of control. All of these techniques are highly important when responding to an individual with a mental illness who is having a crisis. 

Policing mental illness has now become a large part of officers’ jobs, so much so that according to MentaIllnessPolicy.org in 1976, there were 1,000 individuals taken to the psychiatric hospital in New York City alone. By only 1998, that number increased to over 20,000. Adding this PMHC program has been huge for police officers when it comes to responding compassionately to those situations and decreasing the likelihood of injury to the mentally ill individual and others. These programs work by teaming up with behavioral health systems to specifically target appropriate handling of mental health situations. While this may be a good first step in providing the training and resources required for mental crises, this model requires that law enforcement be motivated and proactive. The sustainability of this model only works if there are advocates on the police force. Long-term improvements in the care and appropriate response in these situations will require institutionalization of training as part of building and maintaining police credentials. Our public deserves purposefully orchestrated care whether it be a criminal situation or mental health crisis.

Law enforcement and Mentally Ill. Mental Illness Policy Org. (2017, February 21). Retrieved September 24, 2021, from https://mentalillnesspolicy.org/crimjust/law-enforcement-mental-illness.html.

Learning – Police Mental Health Collaboration. Bureau of Justice Assistance. Retrieved September 17, 2021, from https://bja.ojp.gov/program/pmhc/learning.