Episode 12: Policing Mental Health Crisis: Personal and professional perspectives

On this episode of CRSP Talk, CRSP researcher Jennifer Lavoie takes us through her own and other Canadian research on police responses to people in mental health crisis. Joining this conversation are professionals from mental health agencies, a police officer who works in training and a person with lived experience of police interactions while in mental health crisis.

Read the transcript

Episode Notes

About our guests in this episode:

• At the time of this recording Mr. Greg Hodge was a Peer Support Specialist with the Canadian Mental Health Association, and has since accepted a position as a Peer Support Specialist in the Forensics Program at Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences. We thank Greg for sharing his lived experience with us for this episode.
• Dr. Krystle Martin is a clinical and forensic psychologist. At the time of this recording, she worked as a research scientist at Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences. She conducts research at the intersection between mental health and the legal system. Krystle currently has her own clinical practice and continues to consult with local police services on issues related to mental health.
• Sgt. Paul Wilson is a police training instructor with the York Regional Police, assigned to the Training and Education Bureau in the Practical Skills Unit.

Episode Contributors

• Jennifer Lavoie - Executive Producer
• Carrie B. Sanders  - Executive Producer

Links to Related Research

• Huey, L., Ferguson, L., & Vaughan, A.D. (2021). The Limits of Our Knowledge: Tracking the Size and Scope of Police Involvement with Persons with Mental Illness. Royal Society of Canada. https://rsc-src.ca/sites/default/files/MH%26P%20PB_EN_0.pdf
• LaVoie, J.A.A., Alvarez, N., & Kandil, Y. (2022). Developing community co-designed scenario-based training for police mental health crisis response: A relationship policing approach to de-escalation. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-022-09500-2
• Livingston, J.D. (2016). Contact between police and people with mental disorders: A review of rates. Psychiatric Services, 67(8), 850-857. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.201500312
• McNeilly, G. (2017). Police interactions with people in crisis and use of force. Office of the Independent Police Review Director Systemic Review Interim Report. https://www.oiprd.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/Police-Interactions-with-People-in-Crisis-and-Use-of-Force-Systemic-Review-Report-March-2017-Small.pdf
• Mental Health Commission of Canada

Support and Funding for This Episode

• Brant Community Foundation

This episode was produced by Avery Moore Kloss from Folktale Studio.