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2001 SESSION

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HB 1662 Law enforcement crisis intervention for persons with mental illness.

Introduced by: Jerrauld C. Jones | all patrons    ...    notes | add to my profiles

SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED:

Law enforcement crisis intervention for persons with mental illness. Permits a locality to establish, by ordinance, a Crisis Intervention Team program to assist law-enforcement officers and deputy sheriffs to respond to crisis situations involving persons with mental illness. The goals of a Crisis Intervention Team are affording persons with mental illness a sense of dignity in crisis situations, reducing the likelihood of physical confrontations, decreasing arrests and use of force, identifying underserved persons with mental illness and linking them with appropriate care, providing support and assistance for mental health treatment professionals, decreasing use of temporary detention, increasing public recognition and appreciation, decreasing injuries of law-enforcement officers and deputy sheriffs during crisis events, reducing misdemeanor arrests of individuals with mental illness in crisis situations, and decreasing the need for mental health treatment in jail. The ordinance shall provide for a multidisciplinary training curriculum delivered by mental health providers, legal experts and mental health consumer groups to members of the Crisis Intervention Team. In addition, the ordinance shall provide for the development of a protocol whereby the Crisis Intervention Team shall refer persons with mental illness and their families whom they encounter in crisis situations to local community services boards or, when appropriate, take such persons with mental illness into emergency custody. The locality shall evaluate and report annually on the impact and effectiveness of the Crisis Intervention Team program to the Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS). DCJS may make available funds from the Community Policing Fund for the Crisis Intervention Team program.


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