Innovative Programs, Preventive Care Needed To Curtail Violent Encounters Between Police, People With Mental Illnesses.

The AP (3/20, Warren) reports that across the US, “as police face increased scrutiny for violent encounters…many of which involve people with mental illnesses, law enforcement and advocacy groups are pointing to how the nation treats” people with mental health disorders, noting “a revolving door of emergency room visits and incarceration that they say is ineffective and costly.” While “police crisis intervention efforts and diversion courts are helpful in stemming the violence,” mental health professionals “on the front lines say states need innovative programs and more must be done to” provide preventive “care to curtail explosive moments of crisis.”

Related Links:

— “Police Shootings of Mentally Ill Reveal Gaps in Care,”David Warren, AP, March 19, 2015.

Posted in In The News.