An Agenda for Advancing Research on Crisis Intervention Teams for Mental Health Emergencies

Crisis intervention team models that train police to handle mental health crises in the community have been applauded, but they could become a temporary trend without more research linking specific aspects of the training with behavior changes among police. Major gaps exist in research verifying that changes in officers’ attitudes and skills translate into behavioral change and determining how criminal justice–mental health partnerships affect officers’ behavior, the authors said.

The popularity of crisis intervention teams (CITs) for law enforcement agencies has grown dramatically over the past decade. Law enforcement agencies and advocates for individuals with mental illness view the model as a clear improvement in the way the criminal justice system handles individuals with mental illness. There is, however, only limited empirical support for the perceived effectiveness of CITs. This Open Forum analyzes research needs in this area and offers recommendations. Two major gaps in CIT research are identified: verifying that changes in officers’ attitudes and skills translate into behavioral change and determining how criminal justice–mental health partnerships affect officers’ behavior. Research addressing these gaps could help set benchmarks of success and identify evidence-based practices for CIT, substantially increasing the empirical base of support for CIT.