What’s the Problem?
Police may be called to public places or homes to handle crisis situations created by individuals with drug or alcohol problems, abusive behavior, or mental illness. Currently, these situations often lead to criminal charges instead of addressing the underlying causes with treatment.
First responders need crisis intervention training in order to better assure safety, appropriate de-escalation, less lethal consequences and opportunities for treatment. The possible services available in each county may not be familiar to responders and may even be hard to discover when searching for resources.
What solutions are we working toward?
Recently Maryland has been working to follow the great examples of some other states, such as Virginia, that have made concerted state-wide efforts to train Crisis Intervention Teams that combine police and mental health professionals to help de-escalate crisis situations and divert people to social services such as drug/alcohol treatment, mental health evaluation and treatment, or to counseling or mediation. Training these teams, providing extra personal, and funding social service programs can have a substantial cost, but have proven to be cost effective in the long run because of improved functionality of individuals in their families and communities, and the reduced costs to the state related to crime and incarceration.
MAJR supports the formation of a strong Crisis Intervention Team program in Maryland. Along with mental health organizations such as NAMI and MHAMD, MAJR supports improved training for law enforcement and first responders to recognize mental illness and be familiar with diversion options. We believe such efforts would reduce the number of people being placed in jails and prisons who are primarily in need of treatment or services that could improve their ability to be functional and to contribute.
In particular, MAJR testified in support of two 2020 crisis intervention bills that were enacted: SB 305/HB 607 Establishing the Crisis Intervention Team Center of Excellence in the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention (Testimony); HB 332/SB 441 Emergency Facilities List – Comprehensive Crisis Response Centers, Crisis Stabilization Centers, and Crisis Treatment Centers (Testimony). MAJR also supported SB 454/HB 1470 Mandatory Mental Health Training – First Responders and Law Enforcement Officers, which was not brought to a vote due to the shortened legislative season.
Other progress at County and Baltimore City level:
Some Maryland counties and Baltimore City had already started Crisis Intervention Team Training (CIT). The city was under a consent decree to analyze what was better needed in the city to respond to crisis situations relating to mental health and produced a Gap Analysis. The Baltimore Police Department CIT curriculum has been based on national best practice models, such as the Memphis model. The training consists of 40 hours focused on mental health, including de-escalation techniques and hearing from individuals with lived experience, with the goal of diverting individuals with behavioral health disabilities from the criminal justice system.
Other programs for assistance or treatment of people in crisis situations vary significantly depending on county. Among the types of assistance programs that exist in some Maryland counties are: drug/alcohol abuse programs, mental health treatment programs, domestic violence/abuser programs, anger management programs, parenting classes, employment training, homeless services, veteran’s services, victim-offender mediation, family mediation, restorative justice programs, and prostitution prevention programs.
Learn More!
Maryland State Commission on Criminal Sentencing Policy “Study on Alternatives to Incarceration” http://msccsp.org/Files/Reports/Alternatives_to_incarceration_Jan2018.pdf
NAMI’s National Public Policy Document: https://www.nami.org/getattachment/About-NAMI/Policy-Platform/Public-Policy-Platform-up-to-12-09-16.pdf
Baltimore Public Behavioral Health System Gap Analysis, Final Report, December 2019 https://www.baltimorepolice.org/baltimore-public-health-system-gap-analysis
Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention, Substance Use and Mental Health Disorders Gaps and Needs Analysis, December 31, 2016.
NAMI Maryland, Johns Hopkins School of Education, and Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Summit Report Course Correction: Collaboration of Criminal Justice and Behavioral Health Advancing New and Proven Models for State and Local Government, 2017
National Conference of State Legislatures, “The Legislative Primer Series for Front End Justice: Mental Health,” August 2018.
Treatment Advocacy Center and National Sheriffs Association, More Mentally Ill Persons are in Jails and Prisons than Hospitals: A Survey of the States (May 2010).
Mental Health Association of Maryland (MHAMD) Crisis Intervention Training: https://www.mhamd.org/crisis-intervention-training/ , 2019
The University of Memphis, School of Urban Affairs and Public Policy, Crisis Intervention Team Core Elements, http://www.citinternational.org/resources/Pictures/CoreElements.pdf
Nov 2019 Symposium in Baltimore: The Case for Crisis Response, https://disabilityrightsmd.org/decriminalizing-disability-the-case-for-crisis-response-in-baltimore-city/
