Defying Negative Expectations: Dimensions of Fair and Respectful Treatment by Police Officers as Perceived by People with Mental Illness

Abstract

Programs to improve police interactions with persons with mental illness are being initiated across the country. In order to assess the impact of such interventions with this population, we must first understand the dimensions of how police encounters are experienced by consumers themselves. Using procedural justice theory as a sensitizing framework, we used in-depth semi-structured interviews to explore the experiences of twenty persons with mental illness in 67 encounters with police. While participants came into contact with police in a variety of ways, two main themes emerged. First, they feel vulnerable and fearful of police, and second, the way police treated them mattered. Findings elaborate on dimensions of procedural justice theory and are informative for police practice and mental health services.

The role of stigma and uncertainty in moderating the effect of procedural justice on cooperation and resistance in police encounters with persons with mental illnesses.

“…One participant stated “You just have to speak to them the best way you can and hope that you aren’t going to say something wrong. I know some police, they got the attitude that they would rather kill you… And it’s been done around here (Watson, Angell, Morabito, & Robinson, 2008, p. 452).” Thus, for some participants, cooperation in the encounter may have been purely a survival strategy not impacted by the quality of treatment by the police officer. With respect to the direct effect of stigma on cooperation, we suggest that individuals who highly endorse the existence negative public attitudes toward people in their labeled category and anticipate discrimination may react in a similarly fear-motivated manner in their dealings with the police.…”

Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Training: Selection Effects and Long-Term Changes in Perceptions of Mental Illness and Community Preparedness

“…The options available to officers outside the criminal justice system also affect the outcome of the interaction (Teplin, 1984a(Teplin, , 2000Teplin & Pruett, 1992). Educating officers to recognize the symptoms, causes, and treatment of mental illness and to understand the relative risk of violence, while equipping them with de-escalation techniques, may result in interactions with the police that less negatively impact people with mental illness (Watson, Angell, Morabito, & Robinson, 2008). CIT training is a program that gives officers such an education.…”

Persons with Mental Illness in the Criminal Justice System: Police Interventions to Prevent Violence and Criminalization

“…Meanwhile, the presence of procedural justice increases cooperation and capitulation. Although quantitative tools for assessing perceptions of procedural justice have been piloted only recently (Watson et al, 2010), qualitative interviews of people with MI show that positive outcomes are associated with higher levels of perceived procedural justice (Watson, Angell, Morabito, & Robinson, 2008;Watson et al, 2009). The use of a quantitative instrument (Watson et al, 2010) supports the continued application of this theory for understanding police officers' interactions with persons with mental illness.…”