Mental Illness, Police Use of Force, and Citizen Injury

Abstract

Police departments are increasingly becoming the primary entity for managing incidents involving persons with mental illness, thereby leading to calls for additional research. Drawing on a multicity use-of-force research project, the current inquiry examines whether citizens displaying signs of mental illness are subjected to higher levels of police use of force, and whether they are more likely to be injured, controlling for a host of relevant predictors. The findings show that officers use higher levels of force on persons with mental illness, but such citizens are not at an enhanced risk of injury. The policy and research implications of the findings are discussed.