Crisis Intervention
27 DCS In the Community / September, 2016
An increasingly high number of people with mental illnesses are coming in contact with the criminal justice system. Given this, ensuring officers are effectively trained to handle any crises that may arise is essential to the safety of our officers and the community.
One approach DCS has begun incorporating into officer training is the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) program. CIT is a community-based training that utilizes collaboration between law enforcement agencies, mental health treatment providers, people with mental disorders, and their families. The aim of the program is to improve the officer’s ability to recognize mental health symptoms, de-escalate crises, and make appropriate referrals.
Officers who complete this 40-hour program are designated as members of Georgia's Crisis Intervention Team and are called upon by their peers to de-escalate and assist in the event that an offender is suffering a mental health crisis in the community.
As Pat Strode puts it, "CIT training personalizes people with mental illnesses." Strode is the CIT Program Administrator for the Georgia Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). "It helps eradicate stigmas while giving officers the confidence to address a person in crisis."
Strode was first exposed to NAMI while seeking support for a family member with mental illness. As a member of NAMI, she has been involved with the Georgia CIT program since its inception in 2003. Under Strode’s leadership, the Georgia CIT program continues to grow and is now thriving with 90 classes scheduled for the upcoming year.
Strode says that the biggest impact CIT training has on officers is that it expands their empathy. "By having the opportunity to meet people living in recovery, officers learn that recovery is possible and that people suffering from mental illness can still lead meaningful lives," Strode says. "Most importantly, the program helps officers begin to understand that it is an illness, not a choice, with the symptoms presenting in behavior.”
CIT is more than just a training. At it’s core, it’s about building relationships and an infrastructure in our communities so that everyone can be proactive instead of reactive.
-Pat Strode, CIT Program Administrator
Beyond the Basics