TEMPO: Police Interactions a Report Towards Improving Interactions Between Police and People Living with Mental Health Problems
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
TEMPO: Police Interactions A report towards improving interactions between police and people living with mental health problems Terry Coleman, MOM, PhD Dorothy Cotton, PhD, C. Psych. June 2014 www.mentalhealthcommission.ca ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Acknowledgments and our appreciation are owed to many persons and groups. First, this study would not have been possible without the cooperation of police academies and police agencies not only in Canada but also in the US and Australia. Their contributions have been invaluable. Second, specific acknowledgement is owed Dr. Jamie Livingston, a respected scholar in the field of stigma associated to mental illness, who contributed an important paper (Section V) on the subject of stigma and stereotypes related to police interactions with persons with a mental illness. Third, the assistance of Lindsay Balfour of the Mental Health Commission of Canada is also appreciated. She contributed an important literature review concerning the relationship between workplace mental wellness and the quality of interactions of police personnel with persons with a mental illness. Fourth, the work of our research assistant Cynthia Cotton was instrumental in completing the study within the necessary tight timelines. Last, but not least, a thank you to the various persons who provided additional information and feedback as the study progressed. We thank you all. Terry Coleman, MOM, PhD Dorothy Cotton, PhD, C. Psych. 2 COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface ......................................................................................................5 Executive Summary: A Synopsis of Facts and Findings....................................................6 Chapter 1 1. Introduction............................................................................................12 2. Background ...........................................................................................12 3. Methodology..........................................................................................14 Chapter 2 - Procedural Justice and a Client/Customer Focus: The Voice of People Living with Mental Illness ............................................................ 16 Chapter 3 - Summary of the 2008 and 2010 Reports about Police Mental Health Learning ............20 4. Summary of the 2008 Study of Basic Police Mental Health Education and Training ..............20 5. Summary of the 2010 Study of Police Mental Health In-service Education and Training ...........21 Chapter 4 - Current State of Police Mental Health Learning..............................................24 6. Notable Programs from Outside of Canada.........................................................24 Australia............................................................................................24 Ireland..............................................................................................26 The USA ...........................................................................................27 7. Notable Canadian Programs .........................................................................29 8. Programs—not Police Specific .......................................................................35 9. Results of the 2014 Basic Training Scan .............................................................36 10. Results of the 2014 In-Service Education and Training Scan .......................................44 Chapter 5 - Important Factors Affecting the Design and Delivery of Police Mental Health Education and Training ..........................................................52 11. What is the appropriate content?....................................................................52 A: Evidence-Based Design and Delivery of Learning..............................................53 B: Stigma Related to Mental Illness and Mental Health Problems.................................57 C: Procedural Justice and a Client/Customer Focus ..............................................60 D: Police Discretion and Ethical Decision-Making .................................................60 E: Behaviour and Attitudes of Police Personnel ...................................................62 3 COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW TABLE OF CONTENTS F: Defusing and De-escalating Situations..........................................................64 G: Mental Illness, Violence and the Use-of-Force . 65 12. Who should be involved in the design and delivery of education and training?...................67 A: Selection of the "Training" Personnel............................................................67 13. What learning methodology and techniques are necessary?......................................68 A: Design and Delivery of Learning ...............................................................68 14. Who should receive the education and training?...................................................69 A: The Target Group(s) for Police/Mental Health Learning........................................69 B: Post-Secondary Education ......................................................................69 C: Section of the "right" personnel .................................................................70 15. Conclusion ..........................................................................................70 Chapter 6 - Key Recommendations .......................................................................74 Bibliography................................................................................................80 Appendices ................................................................................................86 Appendix A: Recommendations for the 2010 Report .................................................86 Appendix B: Recommendations of the Braidwood Commission......................................90 Appendix C: National Use-of-Force Framework .........................................................91 4 PREFACE Starting in 2007, the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC), through its Mental Health and the Law Advisory Committee (MHLAC), undertook a series of projects related to police interactions with people with mental illnesses (PMI).1 There has been a significant increase in the number of such interactions over recent years and, concomitantly, increased concerns about some of the outcomes. While most interactions between police and PMI are resolved successfully, a few have resulted in negative outcomes, including the death of the person with the mental illness. The overall goal of the MHCC projects was to identify ways to increase the likelihood of these interactions having positive outcomes–that is, better outcomes for all involved. These projects included: • A review of police academy/basic training education in regard to mental illness; • A review of in-service level education; • An extensive study of the experience of people with mental illnesses with police, including their recommendations for changes in education and practice; and • Guidelines for police services, in regard to their interactions with the mental health system It has now been over seven years since the initial MHCC work in this area. Where are we now? How have things progressed? The present report is focused only on police education and training, rather than on the broader systems and policies that affect interactions between police and people with mental illnesses; it addresses education and training in the broadest sense. As the preface to the 2010 report, Police Interactions with Persons with a Mental Illness: Police Learning in the Environment of Contemporary Policing,2 stated: no matter how well designed and complete a curriculum is, it will only result in improved outcomes if the learning engages the right people and in the right context. Thus, in this paper, attention is also paid to contextual factors—not only what should we teach, but also to whom should we teach and in conjunction with what other organizational structures and social systems (p. 5). The present report places an emphasis on HOW we should teach as well as what we should teach, given the many developments in the field of adult education and curriculum design. That is, how can we better prepare police personnel for interactions with PMI? 1 There are a variety of different terms used by researchers, police, consumers and others to describe people who are living with mental illnesses or people with lived experience of mental illness. In this paper, the term “person with a mental illness” or PMI has been employed as it is familiar to the target audience, and most accurately describes the situation in which police interact with this population—that is, at times when signs and symptoms of mental illness are readily apparent—as opposed to people who might have a history or past experience of mental illness but whose symptoms are not evident at the moment. 2 Available at http://mentalhealthcommission.ca/English/document/431/police-interactions-persons-mental-illness-police-learning-environment -contemporary-pol 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: A SYNOPSIS OF FACTS AND FINDINGS It is increasingly apparent that interactions between police To a lesser extent, police academies some still do not and people with mental illnesses constitute an ongoing include mental health professionals in the development or challenge for police agencies. Data from a variety of sources delivery of curricula. The failure to include mental health indicate that such interactions are, if anything, reported professionals has, in some cases, led to the