Degree Name
MA (Master of Arts)
Program
Criminal Justice and Criminology
Date of Award
5-2024
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
Bradley Edwards
Committee Members
Dustin Osborne, Nicole Prior
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine police officer response to individuals suffering with mental illness. There had been little prior research that used qualitative methods and explored police officers in rural areas. Several research questions were explored, including stigmatizing beliefs held by police officers toward individuals with mental illness, perceived levels of preparedness, challenges experienced by police officers, improvements officers wish to see implemented, and the impact of Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT) training. This study gathered data through semi-structured interviews with 19 police officers who worked in East Tennessee in order to address the research questions. The results from this study provided an understanding of how both CIT-trained and non-CIT-trained police officers respond to individuals suffering with mental illness in rural areas and what changes they would like to see implemented to improve response.
Document Type
Thesis - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Copsey, Aliss, "An Examination of Police Response to Individuals Suffering with Mental Illness" (2024). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 4357. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/4357
Copyright
Copyright by Aliss Copsey