Responding to persons with mental illness (PWMI): Police recruit perceptions of mental health response training and engagement
Many Australian police organisations embed mental health response training (MHRT) into their recruit training packages. Yet critics argue police officers are under-trained and ill-equipped to engage with persons with mental illness (PWMI) in crisis, and officers frequently police PWMI using discreti...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Cogent Social Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2021.2020469 |
| _version_ | 1818510202102611968 |
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| author | Matthew Morgan Toby Miles-Johnson |
| author_facet | Matthew Morgan Toby Miles-Johnson |
| author_sort | Matthew Morgan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Many Australian police organisations embed mental health response training (MHRT) into their recruit training packages. Yet critics argue police officers are under-trained and ill-equipped to engage with persons with mental illness (PWMI) in crisis, and officers frequently police PWMI using discretional techniques that are procedurally unfair and unjust. Applying a procedural justice lens, this research sought to better understand whether MHRT offered by one Australian state police organisation (de-identified as part of the ethics agreement) equips its recruits to engage appropriately with PWMI in future practice, and whether the MHRT effectively prepares recruits to use procedurally fair policing techniques when responding to PWMI in crisis. Conducting semi-structured interviews with recruits upon completion of the MHRT, this research determines that recruits are aware of their lack of knowledge regarding policing PWMI in crisis and are concerned that they may engage in differential policing because the MHRT has under-prepared them for future policing practice. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T22:56:05Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-eba509fcdaf3431094502e89381a0ca2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2331-1886 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T22:56:05Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cogent Social Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-eba509fcdaf3431094502e89381a0ca22022-12-22T01:30:17ZengTaylor & Francis GroupCogent Social Sciences2331-18862022-12-018110.1080/23311886.2021.20204692020469Responding to persons with mental illness (PWMI): Police recruit perceptions of mental health response training and engagementMatthew Morgan0Toby Miles-Johnson1Queensland University of TechnologyWestern Sydney UniversityMany Australian police organisations embed mental health response training (MHRT) into their recruit training packages. Yet critics argue police officers are under-trained and ill-equipped to engage with persons with mental illness (PWMI) in crisis, and officers frequently police PWMI using discretional techniques that are procedurally unfair and unjust. Applying a procedural justice lens, this research sought to better understand whether MHRT offered by one Australian state police organisation (de-identified as part of the ethics agreement) equips its recruits to engage appropriately with PWMI in future practice, and whether the MHRT effectively prepares recruits to use procedurally fair policing techniques when responding to PWMI in crisis. Conducting semi-structured interviews with recruits upon completion of the MHRT, this research determines that recruits are aware of their lack of knowledge regarding policing PWMI in crisis and are concerned that they may engage in differential policing because the MHRT has under-prepared them for future policing practice.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2021.2020469policemental healthprocedural justicetraining |
| spellingShingle | Matthew Morgan Toby Miles-Johnson Responding to persons with mental illness (PWMI): Police recruit perceptions of mental health response training and engagement Cogent Social Sciences police mental health procedural justice training |
| title | Responding to persons with mental illness (PWMI): Police recruit perceptions of mental health response training and engagement |
| title_full | Responding to persons with mental illness (PWMI): Police recruit perceptions of mental health response training and engagement |
| title_fullStr | Responding to persons with mental illness (PWMI): Police recruit perceptions of mental health response training and engagement |
| title_full_unstemmed | Responding to persons with mental illness (PWMI): Police recruit perceptions of mental health response training and engagement |
| title_short | Responding to persons with mental illness (PWMI): Police recruit perceptions of mental health response training and engagement |
| title_sort | responding to persons with mental illness pwmi police recruit perceptions of mental health response training and engagement |
| topic | police mental health procedural justice training |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2021.2020469 |
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