Characteristics of patients referred to psychiatric emergency services by crisis intervention team police officers.

The Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) program trains police officers in crisis intervention skills and local psychiatric resources. Because the safety and appropriateness of any new intervention is a crucial consideration, it is necessary to ensure that CIT training does not result in excessive or inappropriate referrals to psychiatric emergency services (PES). Yet, aside from one prior report by Strauss et al.

Racial disparities in contraceptive use between student and nonstudent populations.

Background: In order to explore opportunities for eliminating the persistent racial disparities in contraceptive use between Caucasian and African American young adults, we examined whether student populations display a reduced racial disparity in overall contraceptive use and use of highly effective contraceptives.

Methods: Using data collected from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) over 3 years, we conducted multivariate analysis to compare racial disparities in contraceptive use in the nonstudent, young adult (18-24 years) population with those in the student population. Analyses are controlled for age, income, education, and insurance status.

Use of force preferences and perceived effectiveness of actions among Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) police officers and non-CIT officers in an escalating psychiatric crisis involving a subject with schizophrenia.

Background: Few studies have examined police officers' use of force toward individuals with schizophrenia, despite the widely disseminated Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) model of partnership between mental health and law enforcement that seeks to reduce use of force and enhance safety of officers and individuals with mental illnesses. This study tested the hypotheses that CIT-trained officers would select a lower level of force, identify nonphysical actions as more effective, and perceive physical force as less effective in an escalating psychiatric crisis, compared with non-CIT-trained officers.

Methods: Police officers (n = 135)-48 CIT trained and 87 non-CIT trained-completed a survey containing 3 scenario-based vignettes depicting an escalating situation involving a subject with psychosis.