Abstract
Mental illness pervades most societies, but it is only recently that its impact and effects upon individuals has slowly been recognised in England and Wales. When people suffering from this illness become involved with various public agencies, the way they are dealt with appears inconsistent and on occasions ends in tragedy. One agency that is constantly in contact with people who suffer mental health illness is the police service. Some high profile cases have clearly illustrated misunderstandings and the fact that the police are not generally equipped to deal with such individuals. This article considers a brief history and theoretical backcloth to police understanding and framing of mental illness in England and Wales, and explores the National Liaison and Diversion Model as an alternative to traditional police understanding and response. The article suggests that only by understanding the historical context, and literature, surrounding mental illness, can improvements be made in the criminal justice system as a whole and within the police service in particular.
Highlights
Much Madness is divinest SenseTo a discerning EyeMuch Sense-the starkest Madness’Tis the MajorityIn this, as all, prevailAssent-and you are saneDemur-you’re straightway dangerousAnd handled with a ChainFrom Life by Emily Dickinson in Appignanesi (2008)The eloquence and simplicity of Emily Dickinson’s outlook on the philosophical, political and sociological interactions of mental illness was published in 1890 and flowed from her personal experiences and emotional reactions but they held little sway in an age where science wasnow captivating the imagination of the influential
Swartz and Bhattacharya (2017) contextualises media fuelled public concern over the risk of violence associated with serious mental illness; if mental illness in the U.S was miraculously cured, violent attacks would be reduced by approximately 4% with 96% of attacks continuing (Hiday et al, 1999)
In addition more than 33% who died in police custody in 2013/14, and 66% of people who took their lives within two days of being released, had mental health concerns (Home Affairs Committee, 2015)
Summary
The eloquence and simplicity of Emily Dickinson’s outlook on the philosophical, political and sociological interactions of mental illness was published in 1890 and flowed from her personal experiences and emotional reactions but they held little sway in an age where science wasnow captivating the imagination of the influential. The chains of social control mechanisms evident via labelling, restrictive controls, exclusion or detention have a long history, periodically reinforced within our cultural responses in legislation. For policing this has meant attempting to provide a response to mental illness from within a mainly punitive framework
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