Recommendations for Implementation

The success of a training program usually hinges on the quality and appropriateness of the trainer.  Criminal justice system personnel may be skeptical of new approaches - sometimes with good reason.  Training loses its effectiveness when participants detect that a facilitator is advancing a political agenda or training largely for financial profit. Accordingly, it is important to choose credible trainers who reflect the shared goals of the criminal justice agency and the mental health community and who are committed to a long-term working relationship.

Involving criminal justice system personnel in leading the education process sends a potent message to those being trained that responses are being instituted because the agency is invested in enhancing service to people with mental illness. For example, law enforcement trainers have the knowledge base and credibility to cover sections on officer safety, enforcement protocols, and other response topics that a civilian may not.

Involving the chief executive of the agency to commence the training or to provide completion certificates also conveys the message that enhancing the response to people with mental illnesses is a priority for the agency.

Example:  Sheriff and County Commissioner,Pinellas County (FL)

In Pinellas County, the sheriff or the county commissioner has been to each of the training classes to speak about the importance of the topic and show support. This interaction has proven to be invaluable in highlighting to class participants the importance of responding appropriately to people with mental illnesses. Additionally, the County Commissioner's office presents a plaque to every officer who completes the 40-hour course.

Frontline mental health professionals who have knowledge and field experience relating to the criminal justice system should be included in training for frontline officers. Street-level crisis intervention workers, for example, are a good resource for law enforcement officers because they have relevant field experience.  Mental health experts with significant criminal justice or forensic experience or community mental health crisis staff are also good choices.  These experts should be coached to concentrate on the basic elements of their expertise that provide a framework for understanding the essential concepts.  They should provide a model that everyone can use to detect and respond appropriately to general classes of mental illness.  Detention facility inspectors and state public defenders who specialize in mental health issues may be useful trainers for addressing an audience of mental health professionals.

Most important, whoever is chosen to train personnel in the criminal justice system must be familiar with the challenges and risks that these individuals face in the field.  Noncriminal justice trainers should be encouraged to participate in ride-alongs or other experience exchanges in corrections or court settings to better understand these challenges and concerns.

Smaller jurisdictions may need to consider creative resource sharing to make training more feasible.  These jurisdictions may create regional training classes, where one or two staff people are sent from several different areas.  These staff members would then be responsible for training others in their jurisdiction.  This type of training can also help address cross-jurisdictional issues and problems and enhance coordination among neighboring agencies. Although distance-learning mechanisms such as CD-ROM or online courses may be an option for those who cannot otherwise obtain access to training, they should not be favored over in‑person training sessions.  While small, rural jurisdictions face limited resources, they do have access to national groups that will help to provide training resources (e.g., the National Sheriffs' Association, the National Institute of Corrections).  Key to the success of training remote, rural jurisdictions is the commitment of agency managers to access the resources that are available.

Example:  Athens-Clarke County (GA) Police Department

The Athens-Clarke County Police Department conducts mental health training in conjunction with Advantage Behavioral Healthcare, the local community mental health care provider agency. Local mental health care professionals (some in private practice) teach the Crisis Intervention Team class and each instructor donates his or her time to the department. Additionally, officers are taken to a local hospital or mental health facility to meet with staff and consumers. This has been a helpful method for personalizing the discussion about people with mental illness for officers who have had limited contact with this population.

Because criminal justice personnel are exposed to the same myths about mental illness as the public, communities must involve consumers in criminal justice system training to debunk these myths and to make personal connections with appropriate personnel.  It will be critical to invite consumers who are articulate and have a range of personal experiences to share.  This involvement should not be limited to a trip to an inpatient mental health facility.  Instead, criminal justice personnel should meet with people with mental illness who are living independently, employed, and managing their illness.  Another effective mechanism to personalize mental illness may be for agencies to identify someone within the agency who has a family member with a mental illness and is willing to share his or her experiences.  Similarly, it is important for trainees to have a full understanding of the experience of the victims of crimes committed by offenders with mental illness.  Including victim advocates in the design and delivery of training programs is helpful to this end.