Expand mental health training for law enforcement
Recommendation
Law enforcement receiving federal funding should be required to train officers and non-sworn personnel[1] in recognizing signs and symptoms of Mental Health/Substance Use Disorder, as well as use de-escalation using models (e.g., the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative)[2] and specialized training (e.g. Crisis Intervention Team [CIT], Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion [LEAD]).[3] Training should help officers identify and respond to potential mental health crises. Policymakers should expand the National Training Center to meet the existing demand for training/support Office of Justice Programs (OJP) expansion to train and provide technical assistance through state grant-making agencies to service providers.[1]
Background/summary
Americans in mental health crisis are more likely to encounter law enforcement and become incarcerated than receive the medical care and treatment they need.[4][5] All levels of the criminal legal system – from the Department of Justice to local law enforcement agencies - should take steps to establish policies and support programs that divert individuals living with mental health and substance use disorders (MH/SUD) away from the criminal legal system and into treatment.[5][6] Evidence-based model programs that provide training and support to law enforcement officers and non-sworn personnel to help them more appropriately identify, triage, and respond to individuals experiencing MH/SUD crises are critical to helping to decriminalize MH/SUDs in America. [1][2][3]
citations
1. National Alliance on Mental Illness. NAMI Consensus Workgroup Policy Recommendations to the 116th Congress and Trump Administration on Behavioral Health Issues in the Criminal Justice System: Next Steps. Last Updated 2019.
2. The Kennedy Forum. Recommendations of Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy to the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis. Last Updated October 2017.
3. CEO Alliance for Mental Health. A Unified Vision for Transforming Mental Health and Substance Use Care. Last Updated August 2022.
4. The Kennedy Forum. State Policy Platforms for Addressing the U.S. Mental Health & Addiction Crisis. Last Updated December 2021.
5. Mental Health America. Position Statement 52: In Support of Maximum Diversion of Persons with Serious Mental Illness from the Criminal Justice System. Last Updated September 8, 2018.
6. The Kennedy Forum. Take the Pledge: Stand Up for Mental Health Equity and Justice. (n.d.)