Research on Law Enforcement and Mental Illness Presented

According to CPS Professors Lenore Walker, Vincent Van Hasselt, and David Shapiro, along with Dr. James Pann of NSU's Fischler School, a recent Department of Justice report indicated that over 50% of people in jails and prisons across the nation have been treated for a mental illness and/or substance abuse problem prior to their being detained. Given the incarceration of people with serious mental health needs accused of committing a crime in Broward County, Florida is not very different from those around the country although some studies suggest that Florida may even be higher than the national average.

A recent study for the Broward Sheriff’s Office indicates that 18% of the 5,500 inmates currently held in their five facilities are known to have a serious mental illness. Further, police officers are often “first responders” to calls involving mental disturbance, which they may not be fully equipped to handle (see Dr. Van Hasselt’s article below).

http://brief-treatment.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/mhn014?ijkey=JCCDYw6Vp8DORF5&keytype=ref

Programmatic lines of research are needed to create and evaluate model programs in law enforcement first response and in working with individuals with a mental illness who have been incarcerated.

The faculty research was presented to the Quality of Life Council. For more information on the council, visit the web site at

http://qol.nova.edu/ .