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Dispositional Decisions with the Mentally Ill: Police Perceptions and Characteristics

Virginia G. Cooper

University of Alabama

Alix M. Mclearen

Federal Bureau of Prisons

Patricia A. Zapf

John Jay College of Criminal Justice

This study was designed to explore police decision making in arresting or committing mentally ill individuals; it has a special focus on racial bias. Ninety-two officers from a medium-sized police department completed a questionnaire about attitudes toward working with mentally ill individuals and responded to a vignette by indicating a dispositional decision. Results highlighted the officers’frustration in handling mentally ill offenders and the lack of coordination in effort between police and mental health professionals. Race was not a major factor in dispositional decision making, but a racial bias was found in commitment decisions, with Caucasian suspects being more likely to be involuntarily hospitalized.

Key Words: police • mentally ill • arrest • race

Police Quarterly, Vol. 7, No. 3, 295-310 (2004)
DOI: 10.1177/1098611104267733
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