Police Psychology_W7.pptx

FPSY 3900 PSYCHOLOGY OF POLICING  Improving police procedures for dealing with mental illness Dr. Ahmet Demirden INTRODUCTION  Interactions between police and individuals with mental illness is significant  Many result in arrest  Increase of inmates with mental health issues HISTORICAL RELE...

FPSY 3900 PSYCHOLOGY OF POLICING  Improving police procedures for dealing with mental illness Dr. Ahmet Demirden INTRODUCTION  Interactions between police and individuals with mental illness is significant  Many result in arrest  Increase of inmates with mental health issues HISTORICAL RELEVANCE  Mental hospitals in the USA and Canada were created to reduce jail incarceration of people with mental illness.  In mid-1800s 15 US states and Canadian provinces build mental hospitals as alternative to jail HISTORICAL RELEVANCE  Large mental health facilities created a class of chronic mental patients.  In 1960s “Deinstitutionalization” focused on getting patients out of mental hospitals.  And, changes in civil commitment laws made involuntary commitment more difficult  Thus, police did no longer have an option of mental hospitals for people with mental illness.  Deinstitutionalization is admirable, but what about community mental health resources. APA 2009: “The evidence is clear: too many mentally ill individuals are incarcerated, post-release treatment is inadequate, as evidenced by lack of follow up and poor outcomes, and recidivism rates are too high. We can only conclude that at-risk patients are not being served adequately in existing outpatient treatment programs”  Criminalization of Mental Illness MENTAL ILLNESS AND CRIME  Only small percentage of offences directly related to mental illness.  Examination of 1382 police encounters showed people with mental illness are more likely to be arrested.  Engel and Silver (2001) analyzed two large datasets that allowed for an examination of other factors that might mitigate the relationship between mental illness and police decisions about arrest  When controlling for a wide range of relevant factors (e.g., using force, male gender, under influence of alcohol/drugs), individuals with mental health issues were not more likely to be arrested. Police Encounters  there has been an increase in the number of contacts between police an individuals with mental health issues.  For example, police in New York City respond to a call involving persons with mental illness every 6.5 minutes.  Police officers spend a disproportionate amount of time in these calls. Police Encounters  In Montreal, 3% of 8485 police similar interventions during a 3-day study period, but these interventions consumed twice as much time for arrests and over three times more time if hospitalization was the disposition option. OTHER FACTORS  The move toward community policing and homelessness have contributed to a rise in contacts between police and citizens with mental health issues.  Police Officers as Gatekeepers  34.4% of Canadian citizens with a mental or substance use disorder self-reported police contact  The Treatment Advocacy Center estimates that Americans with severe mental illness are • Three times as likely to be in jail than in a hospital • More likely to be arrested  In the North American context, an estimated 6%e14% of prisoners, more than community average  Are people with mental illness more violent?  Persons with mental illness are not typically violent or a threat to the community. Research shows that people with mental illness are somewhat more likely to be violent but the substantial majority are not violent  The co-occurrence of a substance abuse disorder or homelessness can increase the risk for violence  In one of the largest studies to date (N . 4480), Desmarais, Van Dorn et al., 2014 found that individuals with mental illness are more likely to be victims than perpetrators of violence.  Approximately one in four individuals with mental illness reporting committed violence - most of which was perpetrated in a residential treatment facility and one in three individuals reported being victimized. Public perceptions of the police  Desmarais, Livingston et al., 2014 surveyed 244 participants who met the inclusion criteria of • • • • • a current diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, delusional disorder, bipolar disorder, or other psychotic disorder, were aged 19-75 years, and • spoke and understood English Desmarais, Livingston et al., 201  They compared their responses with a national sample of Canadians’ personal experiences of crime and perceptions of the criminal justice system  They matched the national survey participants to their sample by age, sex minority status, education, income, and geographic location. Desmarais, Livingston et al., 201  Their sample, compared with the national sample, • Had a significantly higher number of police contacts, • Were more likely to be perpetrators but also victims of crime, and • Gave police high ratings for promptly responding to calls but • The lowest ratings for treating people fairly. Procedural justice  Examining 139 people suffering from mental illness with lived experience with police, Watson and Angell (2013) found that • Greater perceived procedural justice led to decreased resistance and increased police cooperation USE OF FORCE  Most police-citizen interactions do not result in the use of force or in injuries to either police or members of the public.  Use-of-force incidents with suspects with mental illness were more likely to involve resistance compared with suspects without mental illness (74% and 47%, respectively). Suicide by Cop  Some of these violent encounters may be due to intentional behavior by the individual with the goal of being killed by a police officer.  This phenomenon is known as suicide by cop  A national US study of over 700 officerinvolved shootings and found that more than one-third were the result of suicide by cop. Training Option  In Canada, for example, most police agencies train officers with use-of-force simulators, which use life-size screens to project different scenarios likely to b encountered by officers (Bennell, Jones, & Corey, 2007). • This include scenarios involving individuals with mental health issues, including incidents involving attempts at suicide by cop  Johnson (2011) examined whether police were more likely to use force in encounters with citizens with mental health issues, compared with citizens without any mental health issues.  Police were more likely to use force with the former group, Crisis Intervention Team  The predominant model for training police to optimize interactions with individuals with mental illness is CIT.  The first and best-researched program to develop this approach was in Memphis, Tennessee  There is considerable variability in how the program is structured and delivered in different communities CIT Training  In the original program, police officers were provided with 40 h of classroom lectures as well as experiential deescalation training in handling interactions with individuals dealing with mental health crises CIT Program  Officers either volunteer or less frequently are assigned to receive this training.  Once trained, shifts are scheduled so that at least one trained officer is available to respond to calls that may involve an individual with a mental health crisis.  The goal of a CIT program is to have about 20%e25% of police officers completing the CIT training. CIT Curriculum  Lectures on such topics as • clinical issues related to mental illnesses, medications and side effects, alcohol and drug assessment, co-occurring disorders, developmental disabilities, family/consumer perspective, suicide prevention, civil commitment, personality disorders, posttraumatic stress disorders.  Scenario-based skill training also included to gain skills in de-escalation. The Memphis Model  The involvement of the community  A designated emergency mental health receiving facility, to provide an alternative to arrest  The basic 40-hour training program, followed by regular sessions to further enhance skills Volunteered vs Assigned Officers  The authors noted that CIT officers in general were more likely to be female and had prior experience in the mental health field  Volunteered officers showed greater selfefficacy, better de-escalation skills, and made better referral decisions. Alternative models  Vancouver-based Car 87 originated in 1978 in Vancouver  consists of a single specialized mobile unit where a police officer is partnered with a registered (psychiatric) nurse  The team provides on-site assessment, intervention, and community linkage Some issues in CIT  Financial resources  Initial investment  A single team is responsible for an entire area  Evidenced based evaluations. FPSY 3900 PSYCHOLOGY OF POLICING  Chapter 10: Communication in hostage and barricaded situations Dr. Ahmet Demirden Hostage-taking and barricade situations  In the past, police interventions during hostage-taking and barricade situations were often limited to a single warning  Action-reaction type of decision  Today, communication is used as a weapon to resolve crisis situations. Communication  The method by which hostage takers and law enforcement negotiators engage “Talk to Me”: A new approach  Three guiding principles: • Contain the incident; • Understand the motivation and personality of the besieged individual; and • Stall for time.  Today, this approach still constitutes the foundation of crisis negotiations “Talk to Me”: A new approach  Communication and peaceful intervention are key goals,  As long as no immediate threat to life exists, negotiations are acceptable  The success of this approach is such that the number of people injured or killed during a negotiation is less than 1% Coping Mechanisms  Reputable Crisis Negotiation Teams (CNT) proudly display mottos such as  National French Police: Listening is our weapon  FBI: Resolution through dialogue,  The NYPD: Talk to me Crisis/hostage negotiation strategies  Most negotiation models facilitate business negotiations.  A confrontation of divergent interest between rational individuals Traditional Models  Traditional models are, however, of little use when it comes to dealing with mentally disturbed individuals.  The vast majority of crisis interventions nevertheless involve such individuals Defusing the crisis step by step  In crisis situations the person in distress usually moves through three classical stages: • The acute stage ; • Problem-solving; and • Acceptance or resignation. Active Listening      Communicative skills Functional plan is a must Terminal goal is behavioral change Avoidance of robotic manner Rapport building and micro-active listening skills Active Listening Explained  Active listening is effective and affective it allows • Gain more information, • improve understanding of their point of view, and work cooperatively with them.  Active listening entails listening more than talking: “80/ 20 Rule” Impact of Emotions  A crisis is a “condition of instability or danger; a dramatic emotional upheaval in a person’s life.”  Crisis incidents are potentially volatile  They are individually based Emotional contagion  The actions of the negotiator, can affect the actions of the other person: this is called “emotional contagion” Rapport and empathy Respect and Empathy  Empathy is another important term to understand and for negotiators to use correctly  Empathy is not the same as sympathy The PRIME SOS+  The PRIME SO+ acronym  PRIME. • Paraphrasing, Reflecting, “I” messages, Minimal encouragers, Emotional labeling.  SOS • Summarize, Open-ended questions, and Silences. + • positive effect on the subject. The PRIME  Paraphrasing: This involves repeating what the subject said in a much shorter Format that is in the negotiator’s own words  Reflecting/Mirroring: When the subject is finished speaking, reflecting and mirroring s much shorter than paraphrasing The PRIME  “I” messages: This is used to counteract statements made by the subject that are not conducive toward working collaboratively  Minimal encouragers: These are verbal statements such as “mmm,” “okay,” and “I see” and nonverbal gestures like head nodding The PRIME SOS  Emotional labeling: It is important that the emotions of the subject be acknowledged.  Summarize: Summarizing is an extended version of paraphrasing  Open-ended questions: Asking open-ended questions solicits the subject to speak longer The PRIME SOS  Silence/Effective pauses: Part of listening includes utilizing silence and pausing before taking your turn to speak  +(Positive strength statements) Behaviors to engage in: Behaviors to avoid: 1.Use active listening skills 2.Appear calm 3.Remain emotionally stable 4.Be relaxed but firm 5.Control vocal tone and body language 6.Express empathy, show sincere concern for their well-being 7.Treat subject with respect 8.Recognize the subject’s motives 9.Be nonjudgmental and honest without making assumptions 10.Use the subject’s name 1.Being confrontational (arguing, yelling, and or interrupting) 2.Using certain words, generally, including police jargon and religion 3.Lying or making promises that cannot be kept 4.Saying “I understand” or “calm down” or “no” 5.Blaming, judging, or accusing 6.Expressing disinterest or rushing the process 7.Being demanding or minimizing other’s concerns From “talk to me” to “text me”  As a negotiating instrument, speech has an important role and it is not just about words and their meanings  Today, many people are using text messages and social media to communicate, especially among adolescents and young adults From “talk to me” to “text me”  In certain crisis situations, texting may be the only way to initiate a contact.  Some individuals may be more comfortable texting to establish the first contact with the police negotiator,  One concern is the nonexclusive communication Risk assessment in crisis/hostage negotiation  The threat that a subject may represent is assessed based on the context, the individual characteristics, his speech and behaviors.  The negotiator is one member a very important one of a team assessing the threatening situation.  Intimacy factor: E.g. domestic contexts  Alarm indicators: • • • • • Continuous defiance Maintaining unrealistic demands Communicating only in a superficial way Keeps blaming others Becoming more detached A negotiation is a “live” threat assessment. Conclusions  Many crisis situations involve people in distress, often depressive, who threaten to die by suicide.  Active listening is a must in crisis interventions  Slowing down the situation to build rapport to influence behavioral change is an objective MIDTERM - November 13th in the class at 11:10am - Chapters:7, 8, 9, 10, Week 5- Risk As. - 50 Multiple choice questions - 90 minutes