NCJ Number
216826
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 54 Issue: 12 Dated: December 2006 Pages: 26-28,31,32,34,35
Date Published
December 2006
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This article describes the Memphis Crisis Intervention Team training course for officers responding to a crisis involving mentally ill individuals.
Abstract
The Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training course is a patrol-oriented, 40-hour course based on the premise that special people (the mentally ill) have special needs, will respond in a predictable way, and deserve special care. The result of this training approach is that fewer people go to jail, fewer people go to mental hospitals, fewer officers and individuals are injured, there are fewer repeat arrests, fewer people are prosecuted, and more people are identified to get the appropriate mental health care. The first day of CIT training begins with the myths and misconceptions of severe mental illness. Day 2 ends with complicated, confusing, and complex role-play scenarios. Day 3 begins with a detailed how-to for assessing the seriousness of suicide talk. Day 4 begins with a detailed explanation of the medicines used to treat severe mental illness and the last day of the training begins with a training block on adolescents and mental illness. Each CIT course covers the laws that apply to their jurisdiction. Not all CIT courses will have visits to institutions and extensive interviews with the seriously mentally ill.