Police officers are less likely to arrest persons with mental illness than persons without mental illness because they can take persons with mental illness to hospitals (as opposed to jails). a. True b. False
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is B. False.
Police officers are generally more likely to arrest persons with mental illness than those without mental illness. This happens due to several factors related to the criminal justice system, mental health treatment, and law enforcement training.
In many cases, individuals with mental illnesses may exhibit behaviors that could be perceived as suspicious or disruptive, especially during a mental health crisis. Officers, who may not be adequately trained to handle such situations, might resort to arrest instead of seeking alternative care options. The lack of resources and knowledge about mental health issues can contribute to this tendency.
Although police are aware that persons with mental illnesses should ideally receive care from mental health professionals, the reality is that many police departments do not have sufficient partnerships or protocols in place to divert individuals from the criminal justice system to mental health services. In some situations, officers may take someone in crisis to a hospital, but this is often only in cases where the individual is immediately deemed a threat to themselves or others. Many officers still default to arresting individuals due to the lack of crisis intervention training and insufficient access to mental health facilities.
Moreover, while some regions have introduced crisis intervention teams (CIT) to handle mental health-related incidents, these programs are not universally available, and the training they provide is not always sufficient for handling the variety of situations police encounter.
Overall, while the ideal outcome would be to take individuals with mental illnesses to healthcare settings, the practical reality is that persons with mental illness are still more likely to end up in the criminal justice system rather than receiving appropriate mental health care.