Do Crisis Intervention Teams Reduce Arrests and Improve Officer Safety? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Until the 1950s, state mental health hospitals accommodated the majority of individuals suffering from mental illness. Today, however, following the closing of state mental hospitals, persons with serious mental illness without adequate private care are 3 times more likely to be housed in a jail or prison than in a hospital. The consequences associated with increased contact between the criminal justice system and the mentally ill necessitates a comprehensive strategy that targets improvement in interaction between the criminal justice system and the mentally ill. This article reports on findings of a systematic review and meta-analysis of the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT), a widely adopted program implemented in police departments, in an effort to reduce reliance on incarceration as mental health institutions, and to train officers about mental illness. The findings of this review and meta-analysis reveal null effects of CITs on arrests of persons with mental illness (d = 0.180, p = .495) and on police officer safety (d = −0.301, p = .191). These results do not suggest that CIT programs should be discontinued. However, potential improvements to program implementation and evaluation are discussed.

The crime, mental health, and economic impacts of prearrest diversion of people with mental health problems: A systematic review

“…It would be important to have access to studies in a much wider range or jurisdictions where diversion is used (Watson et al, ). As reviews on early phases of diversion have found, these studies show that prearrest diversion has the potential to initiate links with relevant community services for people with suspected mental disorder (Shapiro et al, ; Taheri, ) but contribute evidence that such interventions may not necessarily maintain them. There is a suggestion that the severity of mental health problems was greater among diverted individuals that control group participants (Broner et al, ; Gratton et al, ), which may have constituted a barrier to sustained treatment over the longer term, so “increased oversight and more directive models of diversion” may help for such people (Lattimore, Broner, Sherman, Frisman, & Shafer, : 30).…”

The crisis intervention team (CIT) model: An evidence‐based policing practice?

“…While we are not aware of any RCTs of CIT, a number of studies do exist, having examined CIT training outcomes using pre‐ and post‐training designs, some with comparison groups; outcomes of mental health crisis calls handled by CIT‐trained officers compared with non‐CIT officers; call outcomes pre‐ and post‐CIT implementation in a single jurisdiction; and cross‐sectional examinations of use of force in CIT calls. Additionally, one systematic review (Taheri, ) examining the impact of CIT on arrests and officer safety has been published. Data for the existing studies have come from surveys and interviews of officers, and researcher‐designed data‐capture tools, as well as existing police and emergency communications databases.…”

“…Additionally, one systematic review (Taheri, 2016) examining the impact of CIT on arrests and officer safety has been published. Data for the existing studies have come from surveys and interviews of officers, and researcher-designed data-capture tools, as well as existing police and emergency communications databases.…”

A Review of Opportunities to Improve the Health of People Involved in the Criminal Justice System in the United States

“…A systematic review and meta-analysis found that CIT-trained officers transported people with mental illness to more community-based services rather than arresting them, in comparison with their nontrained counterparts, although the total effects of CIT on arrest were null, as were its effects on violence in the majority of studies. These findings reflect problems in the evaluation studies themselves, such as the absence of randomization or matched control and treatment groups and pre-and post-intervention measures; CIT remains a promising intervention and would benefit from more rigorous evaluation approaches (109).…”