The lack of mental health crisis services across the U.S. has resulted in law enforcement officers serving as first responders to most crises. A Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) program is an innovative, community-based approach to improve the outcomes of these encounters.
In over 2,700 communities nationwide, CIT programs create connections between law enforcement, mental health providers, hospital emergency services and individuals with mental illness and their families. Through collaborative community partnerships and intensive training, CIT improves communication, identifies mental health resources for those in crisis and ensures officer and community safety.
The Benefits Of CIT
Not only can CIT programs bring community leaders together, they can also help keep people with mental illness out of jail andintreatment, on the road to recovery. That’s because diversion programs likeCIT reduce arrests of people with mental illnesswhile simultaneously increasing the likelihood that individualswill receive mental health services. CIT programs also:
- Give police officers more tools to do their job safely and effectively. Research shows thatCIT is associated with improved officer attitude and knowledge about mental illness. In Memphis, for example,CIT resulted in an 80% reduction of officer injuriesduring mental health crisis calls.
- Keep law enforcement’s focus on crime.Some communities have found thatCIT has reduced the time officers spend responding to a mental health call.This puts officers back into the community more quickly.
- Produce cost savings.It’s difficult to estimate exactly how much diversion programs can save communities. But incarceration is costly compared to community-based treatment. For examplein Detroitan inmate with mental illness in jail costs $31,000 a year, while community-based mental health treatment costs only $10,000 a year.
NAMI promotes the expansion of CIT programs nationwide by providing NAMI Affiliates and State Organizations, local law enforcement, mental health providers and other community leaders with information and support about CIT implementation. NAMI also works with local and national leaders to establish standards and promote innovation in CIT.
Become An Advocate
Whether you are a law enforcement officer, mental health professional, elected official or person directly affected by mental illness, you can become an advocate for changing the way your community responds to mental heal crisis. Learn more about bringing CIT to your community or other efforts to improve mental health services.Reach out to your NAMI Affiliate or State Organizationto identify these efforts. To keep up to date on national advocacy, joinour advocacy list.
Share Your Story
During the 40-hour CIT training for law enforcement, individuals and family members share their personal stories of lived experience with mental illness. It is an opportunity for officers to hear powerful and unique stories that help increase their understanding of mental illness and empathy, and is often identified as a favorite part of the CIT training.NAMI Sharing Your Story with Law Enforcement (SYSLE)is a presentation program that prepares individuals and family members to share their personal stories with a law enforcement audience either during a CIT training or another similar opportunity.
Additional Resources
NAMI and our national partners have developed many resources to support local communities to start or enhance their CIT programs:
- Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Programs: A Best Practice Guide for Transforming Community Responses to Mental Health Crises: Developed by CIT International, this guide shares best practices for starting and sustaining CIT programs.
- CIT Coordinators Guide: Guidance for CIT coordinators who have invited a peer or family member to share their personal mental health story during a CIT training.
- CIT for Youth Guide: Tools to helplocal communities develop CIT programs to respond to youth and young adults who are experiencing a mental health crisis.
- Key Stakeholders:Aresource tohelp think throughthe stakeholders that are important to effectively addressing your community’s response to mental health crisis.
- Police Mental Health Collaboration (PMHC) Toolkit:A resource supported by the Bureau of Justice Assistance at the U.S. Department of Justice toprovidecommunities with best practices and other resources for addressing law enforcement’sresponse to mental health crises.
NAMI National does not provide CIT training or technical assistance related to CIT programs. For additional information and to be connected to resources to help bring a CIT program to your community, visitCIT International, the leading national organization promoting best practices in Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) programs. You can also contactyour local NAMIto identify opportunities in your community.
