Term Paper on "Police and Chronic Mentally Ill Individuals"

Term Paper 15 pages (4534 words) Sources: 15 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Police and Chronic Mentally Ill Individuals

The need for research into the intersection between policing responsibilities and chronic mentally ill Individuals is evidenced by the various prevalent areas of concern in this relationship, as it presently exists. As this section will discuss, while there are some practical and commonly accepted modes and methods within police protocol to deal with the problem of the mentally ill and particularly the homeless, this has not been refined or become integrated sufficiently to provide a fully comprehensive strategy and set of protocols to deal fully with the situation.

There are also many assertions that police treatment of the homeless and mentally ill is based in stereotypes, prejudice and a general lack of understanding of the complexity of mental illness. There is also the allegation that police arrests have exacerbated the problem in some cases through the increase of mentally disabled persons in prisons.

On the other hand are also many studies and reports which indicate that there have been positive advances in training in police departments with regard to the understanding of the problems and the nuances of the mentally ill. This is coupled with numerous reports of programs, protocols and initiatives that are indicative of increased police awareness and improved methodologies when dealing with these individuals. These two points-of-view will be explored in the present study.

A common view of this problem is as follows. In an article entitled, Mentally ill overwhelming police: report, the author states that, "A new groundbreaking report... painted a portrait of a police force overwhelmed with the needs of the mentally ill because the mental health system was failing them" (Mentally ill overwhelming police: report). This in one of many such reports and studies that refer to the increasing problematics of mentally ill and homeless people in larger urban centers - and to the concomitant problem of dealing with this problem from a legal and policing point-of-view. This problem is also fraught with misconceptions and stereotypes of the mentally affected person, which add to the complexity of the situation and highlights the inadequacies in protocol and methodology that have in many instances taken place between the police and the homeless and mentally ill.

The trajectory of the intersection between police work and dealing with the mentally ill will be explored in this section, with the central focus on the need for further research as well as the importance of this research in the present healthcare, legal and judicial environment.

At the outset it is important to note that the are a number of cardinal concepts that are essential in understanding the role and responsibility of modern policing in contemporary industrialized societies. The first concept refers to the view that "... The police institution originates with the people, depends on them for support, and, in effect, the people are the police and the police are the people." (Robinson, Scaglion & Olivero, 1994, p. 127) This refers to a more contemporary approach to the ethos of policing, where the emphasis is on interaction and symbiotic interdependence between the police and the community in the process of police functioning. This view has a specific bearing on the issue under discussion, as the mentally ill and homeless form an integral part of the community under police jurisdiction

Secondly, the primary focus of the police is to protect the majority of law - abiding people from the minority of criminal and law- breakers. (Robinson, Scaglion & Olivero, 1994, p. 127) the modern police, as an institution, have its origins "...in the need to do something about a real rise in crime and/or disorder..." (Emsley, 1999, p. 8). This view is equally important and brings to bear the primary function of the police - namely to protect the community from danger and harm in various ways.

However, these two aspects are not mutually exclusive and both play a role in that way that the homeless and the mentally ill are perceived and treated by the police. These two theoretical strands will form the fulcrum of the discussion of the relation between police work and treatment of the mentally ill in modern society.

A central point of debate in the literature and a facet that is strongly related to the present topic is that the role and functions of the police have changed in recent years due to the requirements and needs of contemporary society. A police officer's function is now seen as being much more than just 'keeping the peace" or in only applying the letter of the Law. This changing role will also be discussed in relation to the nature and of police function and their pertinence and applicability to the problematics of dealing with the mentally ill.

Overview

The problematic and complex situation with regard to the homeless and mentally ill individuals in our society is roughly summed up in the following assessment. "It is public-policy issues....Roughly one-third of America's homeless are...suffering from mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and manic depression... " (How'd, 1998). While the root cause of the increasing prevalence of mentally ill and homeless people on the streets of our cities can be ascribed to problems of policy and governmental decisions, yet this problem inevitably revolves to the jurisdiction and responsibility of the police and law enforcement officers. While the primary duty of these police officers is to enforce the law, this function is problematized by the grey areas and the uncertainty that often occurs when dealing with the mentally ill. The police officer is called upon to "...'do something' in situations involving mentally ill individuals,"... particularly when they exhibit the more frightening and disturbing signs of mental disorder" (Teplin L.A., 2000).

The issue of the correct procedure between the police officer and the mentally ill individual is complicated and compounded by a number of factors. The first of these which has already been alluded to, is the fact that in many cities and urban centers responding to the mentally ill has become a task that has fallen to the police to an increasing extent in recent years - whereas in the past this would have been dealt with by the various intuitional authorities. As one study on this subject notes

Several factors have increased the likelihood of police encounters:

deinstitutionalization in the 1960's, cutbacks in Federal mental health funding, and changes in the legal code governing patient rights and affirming the right of a mentally ill person to live in the community without psychiatric treatment. (Teplin L.A., 2000)

These are central issues that will not be belabored but which form an important part of the background and contributes to the case for further research into this field of inquiry. A second issue that is also significant in the overall understanding of the present situation is that, " at the same time, society's tolerance of mentally ill persons in the community is limited. Given the stereotype of mentally disordered people as dangerous..." (Teplin L.A., 2000)

This brings into play the stereotypes and prejudices that exist within the community, as well as in the police force, which adds another layer of complexity to dealing with the problem and in finding appropriate outcomes.

To further exacerbate the situation, studies show that the downsizing of mental institutions and the release of patients back into the community that occurred in the 1960s did not always live up to theoretical or practical expectations. As one report states, the money saved by hospital closings was to be put into outpatient community programs. However, the money did not end up in the community. Instead, states rebudgeted the savings, and many mentally ill people found themselves without appropriate social services and support systems. Without monitoring, many stopped taking their medication, while others continued with medications that had severe side effects and quickly became outmoded. This resulted in many unstable individuals living in the community with their families who were unprepared for the role of caretaker, or in the too few halfway houses and group homes, or on the street. (Vickers B. 2000)

The task of dealing with this situation on the streets and in the urban areas fell to a large extent on the shoulders of the police force. "Officers were serving as frontline mental health workers" (Vickers B. 2000). Badawi (2002) points out a number of aspects and statistics that serve to highlight the situation with regard to policing demands and responsibilities.

Mentally ill homeless people impoverished, and many are not receiving benefits for which they may be eligible. Their social support and family networks are usually unraveled.

They are twice as likely as other homeless people to be arrested or jailed, mostly for misdemeanors.

The majority have had prior contact with the mental health system. These experiences were not always positive. They may have been hospitalized involuntarily or given treatment services or medications they did not feel were of benefit. (Badawi, 2002)

All of these aspects add the problematics of police intervention and actions in dealing with individual cases.

The realities of policing the homeless… READ MORE

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