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Mental illness is not a crime. Yet far too many individuals receive their first diagnosis of mental illness in jail or prison — a result of stigma, discrimination, racism, as well as the persistent and systemic failure of the United States healthcare system to provide affordable, accessible, community-based mental health care.

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POLICE RESPONSE TO MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS 

• 1 in 4 fatal police encounters results in the death of a person with severe mental illness.

• People with untreated mental illness are 16 times more likely to be killed by the police than other civilians stopped by law enforcement

• A 2019 study in the Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law concluded that police crisis intervention teams have only modestly helped reduce arrests of people with mental illness and kept them out of the criminal justice system.

• According to the Police Executive Research Forum, between 10% and 29% of shootings by police involve someone attempting to commit “suicide by cop.” Police reform advocates say crisis intervention teams with unarmed social workers and plainclothes officers can better de-escalate these types of situations. We believe that police should not be involved in responding to mental health crisis. 

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The Need in Nashville

Police shooting people with mental health needs 

• Melissa Wooden 

Police shooting and murdering people with mental health needs 

• Landon Eastep 

• Jacob Griffin - More info 

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Partners in Care

(Corresponding Model Between Mental Health Cooperative and Metro Nashville Police Department) 

 In June 2021, Metro Nashville launched Partners in Care, to place mental health clinicians in police cars with Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) officers in two precincts – North and Hermitage. The purpose of this pilot is to connect individuals to health care and services while ensuring the safety and well-being of community members, police officers, emergency medical responders, and clinicians. Once the Partners in Care team is called to the scene, MNPD officers stabilize the situation so that clinicians from the Mental Health Cooperative can assess the individuals and connect them to the behavioral health care they need.

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• Partners In Care Q1 Snapshot (June 28, 2021 - Sept 28, 2021) 

• 542 Calls; 20 arrests; 7 injuries

• Partners In Care Q2 Snapshot(Sept 29, 2021 - Dec 28, 2021) 

• 279 Calls; 11 arrests; 4 injuries

• Partners in Care Q3 Data from News Article (Dec 29, 2021  - March 28, 2022) 

• 234 Calls; 10 arrests; 2 injuries

• Partners in Care Q4 Snapshot 

• 300 Calls; 14 arrests; 2 injuries

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Total (Q1-Q4): 1344 calls; 55 arrests; 15 injuries  

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The program expanded to the Central Precinct on May 15, 2022 (Q4) 

 

Q4 Data - We are currently looking for this data. If you find it, please email info@bmhanashville.com to share it with us. 

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DECRIMINALIZING MENTAL ILLNESS - Abolition in Mental Health Training 

This is why we are working to create a mental health response that does not criminalize people for being unwell.

Every month, our team provides an introductory  Abolition in Mental Health training.