Police Responses to Persons with Mental Illness: The Policy and Procedures Manual of One Australian Police Agency and ‘Procedural Justice Policy’

Matthew Morgan

doi:10.3390/socsci10020042

Abstract

Persons with mental illness (PWMI) often report negative perceptions of police treatment following receiving criminalising and heavy-handed police responses. To appropriately control officer discretion and to harness ethical, legal, and efficient police practice when encountering vulnerable and diverse individuals, police agencies across the world issue policy documents to their officers. These documents serve as a reflection regarding how police agencies aspire to manage PWMI in the community. Using a procedural justice framework, this research measures how a large police agency in Australia aspires to manage PWMI and whether the police policy document provides sufficient detail in advocating the appropriate and just police treatment of PWMI. A content analysis of the policy document revealed a lack of sufficient procedural guidelines in effectively controlling police officer discretion when encountering PWMI in the community. This article argues that without further consolidation to embed appropriate procedural guidelines into the policy document, the procedural policy gaps may have a negative effect on the experiences of PWMI when encountering the police.

Highlights

These documents serve as a reflection regarding how police agencies aspire to manage persons with mental illness (PWMI) in the community
Despite the potential for effective policy to positively shape the experiences of PWMI during police contact, recent research in Australia encompassing the perspectives of PWMI and their carers elicits negative perceptions of the police following heavy-handed and criminalising police responses (Boscarato et al 2014; Bradbury et al 2017; Brennan et al 2016)
The content analysis indicated that the most explicit example of police respectful treatment in the Operational Procedures Manual (OPM) was regarding the transportation of PWMI

Summary

Introduction

These documents serve as a reflection regarding how police agencies aspire to manage PWMI in the community. Written for police audiences, police policy documents reflect the aspirations of police agencies and articulate strategies to overcome operational complexities officers face when policing citizens They are often created as a detailed policing response for officers to use when policing complex situations or policing specific groups of people with detailed needs, such as for example, policy relating to police engagement when encountering minority and marginalised persons (Carpenter 2000; Miles-Johnson 2015). In such instances, and in accordance with governing legislation, the Queensland Police Service (QPS) in Australia provides written directions to officers to ensure the functions, powers and responsibilities of the police are discharged “lawfully, ethically and efficiently” Integration of effective training with clearly articulated administrative policy has the potential to positively shape the experiences of PWMI during police contact

Methods

Results

Conclusion