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Clinical social work practice is increasingly informed by theoretical frameworks that attend to social justice. These frameworks include the just practice framework, the structural approach, and critical social theories such as critical race theory, feminist theory, and post structural theory, among others. Moreover, host settings that employ clinical social workers may be both consistent and inconsistent with social justice. Integrating clinical social work and social justice can be a complex process because it requires a clear definition of social justice to guide practice, and knowledge about racial disparities and how attitudes, values and beliefs might influence presenting problems. Consequently, a major competency for the clinical social worker is the ability to assess the influence of social injustice, racial disparities, and attitudes, values and beliefs on presenting problems. Additional competencies include the ability to assess the practice setting to address social injustice and provide clinical interventions, and apply social justice frameworks. Despite the fact that racial disparities exist in mental health and substance abuse treatment and services affecting black and Hispanic populations, limited information is available to guide clinical social workers with integrating social justice interventions. The purpose of this article is to consider the lessons from police social work practice to inform the integration of clinical social work practice and social justice when providing mental health and substance abuse services to black and Hispanic populations. These lessons offer recommendations intended for clinical practice in other host settings that provide services to these populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Police agencies are increasingly integrating social workers in response to more calls regarding mental health and social welfare needs. Limited research captures the experiences and needs of social workers in law enforcement agencies. This article explores social workers' job preparedness through a qualitative phenomenological study. The study includes a semistructured interview with 40 participants from across the nation to identify factors for job preparedness, social workers' experiences, and perceived areas for development. As a result, seven themes emerged: exposure, a lack of understanding, unpredictability, programmatic growth and support, systemic challenges, assessment needs, and workplace culture. Most participants revealed that they did not feel prepared for their role but shared instances of helpful experiences, insights, and needs of the profession. The participants highlighted the need for social workers to continue to educate themselves to better prepare for the populations they serve. Several implications are discussed to address and enhance the needs of the profession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cities across the political spectrum in the United States are shifting toward co-responder models that involve social workers with police departments in some capacity, but research is lagging about the proper role of police social workers (PSWs). This case study explores how the micro and macro roles of the embedded PSW model can improve resource delivery and divert people in crisis away from the criminal justice system. Few research studies to date have explored the role and potential effectiveness of creating such a position within police departments. An analysis of 7 months of data found that the PSW was much more efficient than officers in making referrals for high-needs clients. Furthermore, high-needs clients were more likely to have unmet basic needs such as shelter, food, and health care, indicating that police departments may frequently interact with people who have high levels of such needs. Qualitative case notes also revealed that PSWs can divert individuals from the criminal justice system by using crisis intervention and de-escalation techniques on-scene with clients. This research has important implications for improving community safety and well-being, and this case study reveals that PSWs with micro and macro skills are a promising model for improving public safety and justice in the right context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2020, the Fayetteville Police Department (FPD), located in a small urban community in Arkansas, began efforts to develop alternative responses to crisis-related calls for service. The main motivation for this effort was the influx of calls related to crises involving substance use, mental health, and homelessness both before and during COVID-19, although the George Floyd protests during that summer also played a meaningful role. FPD collaborated with the University of Arkansas School of Social Work (UA) to develop an MSW internship within the department with the intent of ultimately creating a co-response program. It is crucial to determine a baseline of staff attitudes when developing a new program or implementing organizational change to assess any subsequent shifts over time. As such, this paper presents baseline data from a survey assessing attitudes among sworn and civilian staff at FPD toward incorporating a social worker into the department. Data from semi-structured interviews provide a deeper understanding of these attitudes along with insight into lessons learned during the implementation of the internship and the eventual Crisis Intervention Response Team (CIRT). Survey results indicated that overall, FPD staff were supportive but somewhat hesitant about the programmatic change, particularly regarding safety concerns when bringing unarmed civilians into the field. Themes from the interviews showed that although there was certainly doubt among FPD staff initially, the intentionally collaborative efforts made by FPD administrators and UA faculty to support organizational acceptance of the program produced early successes. By highlighting crucial aspects of the implementation process and the lessons learned along the way, the results from this study can guide future replication efforts in similarly situated localities.

Persisting social inequities and injustices were spotlighted in the United States in 2020 after the murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. A particular focus on the interactions of police officers and non-violent community members rallied a call to reallocate funds to social services better equipped to handle such situations, aptly named #defundthepolice. Many called for the need and placement of social workers in police agencies to curtail the negative interactions witnessed between police officers and communities of color, specifically with Black Americans. Across the nation, social workers are not always employed or readily available in police organizations. Therefore, instilling social work practices in police work can supplement the need for an alternate police response when resources are limited or nonexistent. This article examines the potential integration of social work values and principles as a complement to policing and delineates the identities and challenges of each profession through the lens of social identity theory. Suggestions are made to overcome the challenges by providing insight for future implications. The integration of the values and principles of social workers with the practices of police officers could promote a shift in policing toward restorative justice for community enrichment. These shifts could bring about resolution in the tumultuous relationship between communities of color and police departments across the United States and is worth consideration.

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This article explains why a clarion call to action is necessary in regards to prioritising criminal justice social work in India. Partially relying upon the existing crime and prison statistics, it appears clear that greater involvement of social workers in the criminal justice system can only bode well, not only for offenders but also victims of crime, as well as their respective families and communities. To that end, various issues pertaining to correctional social work, police social work, the intersections between social work and criminology, social work education and professional training, as well as the tension between legal/enforcement and welfare/development approaches are traversed here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite lack of strong empirical evidence about its effectiveness, community policing remains the approach of choice for police organizations in managing the complexity of crime and neighborhood disorder. It is also the preferred strategy for improving relations between police and racialized communities. Anchored in ongoing public conversations and protests about the tense relationships between police and racialized communities, this article offers a theoretical analysis of community policing. An overview of its objectives, principles, and use in Canada is first provided. Next, a critical reading of community policing is presented, which suggests that its end may be near, given that it has not fulfilled its promise of improved police-minority relations. Finally, the case of Abdirahman Abdi in Ottawa is discussed, to illustrate this failed promise. The author contends that, in the absence of a change model for transformation in police-minority relations, police social workers are an important but overlooked component of community policing. The article concludes with several recommendations, one of which is to employ police social workers in police organizations, since the challenge of community policing requires a multidisciplinary perspective that the police alone cannot provide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2013 the Western Cape legislature passed the Western Cape Community Safety Act (WCCSA) to improve monitoring of and oversight over the police. One creation of the WCCSA is the Western Cape Police Ombudsman, which became operational in 2015. This article reviews its history and context, as well as results from its first year. The Police Ombudsman, the only one in the country, must be seen as one of the results of efforts by the opposition-held province to carve out more powers in the narrowly defined constitutional space, and in so doing to exercise more effective oversight and monitoring of police performance, and improve police--community relations. The Ombudsman must also be seen against the backdrop of poor police--community relations in Cape Town and the subsequent establishment of a provincial commission of inquiry into the problem, a move that was opposed by the national government, contesting its constitutionality. Results from the Ombudsman's first 18 months in operation are modest, but there are promising signs. Nonetheless, the office is small and it did not do itself any favours by not complying with its legally mandated reporting requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extra-curricular programmes that unite police officers and youth (hereafter: ‘police-youth programmes’) have long been recommended to ameliorate the often-strained relationship between these groups. Baltimore’s history of police-youth programming includes initiating and discontinuing a variety of programmes. Researchers conducted in-depth interviews and focus group discussions among diverse stakeholders to identify barriers to sustaining police-youth programmes. Stakeholders described lack of political will, conflicting policing philosophies, and negative police-community dynamics. Participants were optimistic about the potential impact of quality programming, despite these barriers. Police-youth programmes have the capacity to improve police-youth relationships in Baltimore. Strategies to ensure sustainability and increase impact are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social work as a discipline has made progress in many areas, including school social work, military social work, and mental health, to name a few. Conversely, police social work has seen a reduction in advancement within the last three decades. Police departments and social workers have traditionally worked together to deal with community problems. In fact effective prevention, intervention, and stabilization require more than police action and goes beyond the capability of any single agency. Studies show that social services provision has always been a key part of policing, operating alongside service to victims of crimes and the enforcement of the law against offenders. The purpose of this study is twofold: (1) to explore whether police departments in the state of Minnesota provide social services to crime victims and witnesses and to residents seeking social service assistance in non-crime situations; and (2) to explore strategies for hiring social workers within the agency, and to enhance effective collaboration with the new hires during specific types of responses to interventions, such as mental health crises and domestic violence. A case study design methodology, specifically involving in-depth interviews of 40 Minnesota police chiefs and the utilization of documentations are employed in this study.

Although improving police responses to mental health crises has received significant policy attention, most encounters between police and persons with mental illnesses do not involve major crimes or violence nor do they rise to the level of emergency apprehension. Here, we report on field observations of police officers handling mental health-related encounters in Chicago. Findings confirm these encounters often occur in the “gray zone,” where the problems at hand do not call for formal or legalistic interventions. In examining how police resolved such situations, we observed three core features of police work: (a) accepting temporary solutions to chronic vulnerability, (b) using local knowledge to guide decision making, and (c) negotiating peace with complainants and call subjects. Findings imply the need to advance field-based studies using systematic social observations of gray zone decision making within and across distinct geographic and place-based contexts. Policy implications for supporting police interventions are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Police response time to calls for service is a crucial factor in evaluation of police performance. While domestic violence is now considered serious interpersonal violence, factors associated with response time to domestic violence incidents are underexplored. Using hierarchical linear modeling, over 10,000 cases of calls for service for domestic violence across 438 census tracts in Houston, Texas, were examined. The result of multilevel analysis revealed that complainant’s race, weapon involvement, and day and time of incidents were associated with response time at the situational level. At the neighborhood level, concentrated disadvantage, immigration concentration, and residential stability were significantly associated with response time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic theory predicts that a rise in police presence will reduce criminal activity. However several studies in this field have found mixed results. This study adds to the literature by exploring the relationship between the size of the police force and crime experienced by firms. Using survey data for about 12,000 firms in a cross-section of 27 developing countries it is found that increasing the size of the police force is negatively associated with crime experienced by firms. Results are confirmed using a panel of firms for a subset of countries for which data are available. It is also found that this negative relationship is stronger under certain macroeconomic circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a field of social science research, policing has been fortunate to have a number of influential academic researchers and a rich history of significant writing. This is something to be celebrated. Our Revisiting the Classics series aims to bring together leading commentators to review books that contribute to the core of police studies. There will always be debate about which books are seminal and which authors have had the greatest influence on the discipline. We hope this initiative will encourage readers to rediscover the value of work done by previous generations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The core business of the South African Police Service (SAPS) is "to create a safe and secure environment for all citizens of South Africa" (SAPS, 2011:i). Social workers applying occupational social work practice fundamentals are expected to address both the organisational wellbeing of the SAPS and the social wellbeing of the personnel, but as a secondary entity within a structured, semimilitary environment. This article elaborates critically on the position of police social work and argues why social workers employed by the SAPS should be acknowledged as specialists in the field of occupational social work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A central area of interest yet controversy within policing over many decades has been the extent to which there exists a pernicious and pervasive occupational culture which operates in stark contrast to the aims of a principled police force. This article seeks to analyse the contentious issue of the culture of a police force under the pressure of organisational reform, with particular reference to An Garda Síochána, the Irish National Police Service. It draws upon an analysis of interviews conducted with police officers working across a range of units in one division of the national police service of the Republic of Ireland – an organisation that has not long ago been the subject of a post-scandal suggested internal reform agenda, driven by theMorris Tribunal'sinvestigation of a major policing scandal. It presents an appraisal of officer perceptions relating to the key features of An Garda Síochána's ‘adjusted’ operational-level occupational culture as they may be. These imply that the outcomes embedded in a number of reforms might well have altered the ‘expected’ cultural expressions of the police, thereby, challenging the suitability of ‘conventional’ themes of police characteristics and practices in relation to Irish police experience on the ground. It seems Irish police officers share an outlook that views formal rules as self-serving and normative orders designed to regulate their professional conduct. Garda culture may be characterised by its relative adoption or adaptation of new approaches, methods and techniques in public service delivery. So too it looks as if conventional values relating to police solidarity and loyalty, may have been ‘conditionally’ adjusted, in accordance with a changing accountability framework. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Although some insight into the sources and scope of occupational stress among rural police officers exists, historically, researchers have focused largely on their policing styles, rather than the relationship between what officers do and how they feel about their work as police in rural jurisdictions. To address this lacuna in knowledge and literature, we draw on data collected from semi-structured interviews conducted with 20 active police officers, each of whom is presently assigned to one of seven rural police detachments in a province in Eastern Canada and field observation of police working in a rural detachment in this same province. In adopting a role theory perspective, we first reveal how officers operationalize their roles as law enforcers, peacekeepers, social workers and/or knowledge workers. We then examine their experiences of role strain as a result of mismatches between their desired versus actual occupational role(s). The majority of officers aspired to hold either the law enforcement or social worker role, which they saw as being most closely associated with their perceptions of what it means to be a ‘police officer’. However, most felt they performed tasks related to less desirable roles, which was tied to role strain. Training recommendations are discussed for officers recruited for rural policing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The police have traditionally been sceptical about working with some groups, and the private security sector is foremost amongst them. Arguments that there are too many negatives associated with a service that is accountable to only those who can pay can be balanced by its potential to offer more cost-effective ways of policing, not least in an austere economic climate. This article reports on interviews with police leaders about attitudes towards working with, and outsourcing functions to the private security sector. Amongst police leaders, both supportive and cautious attitudes were identified and three ‘ideal types’ of views emerged: sceptics, pragmatists and embracers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents the initial findings of a multi-stage research project. The purpose of the study is to examine officer perception of preparedness after receiving Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training, specifically the elements of CIT that focus on mental illness. An additional goal of this study was to examine the underlying factors contributing to these perceptions. The sample utilised was 32 CIT-trained officers out of a population of 70 from a large urban police department in Connecticut. CIT-trained officers were administered a 13-item self-report questionnaire that required participants to evaluate perceptions of preparedness. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted in order to obtain a more in-depth understanding of the findings. Results indicate that, overall, police feel better prepared to deal with the mentally ill population due to CIT training. Additionally, results indicated that although officers felt more prepared to deal with the mentally ill population after CIT training, they did not feel that they had adequate information pertaining to availability of diversion programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reflects on the findings of two independent studies carried out by the authors into partnership working between the police and other community agencies. Running counter to previous evidence, we find strong support for partnership working amongst police officers both at operational and strategic levels. This article draws out some of the effective ingredients of successful partnership working and the ways it can be best embraced and sustained within the police organization. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper analyses the policing strategies of private security companies operating in urban space. An existing literature has considered the variety of ways that territory becomes of fundamental importance in the work of public police forces. However, this paper examines territory in the context of private security companies. Drawing on empirical research in Cape Town, it examines how demarcated territories become key subjects in private policing. Private security companies are responsible for a relatively small section of the city, while in contrast the public police ultimately have to see city space as a whole. Hence, private policing strategy becomes one of displacement, especially of so-called undesirables yielding a patchworked public space associated with private enclaves of consumption. The conclusions signal the historical resonances and comparative implications of these political–legal–security dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of the Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) in the UK. The development of the role is charted from its inception under the Police Reform Act 2002. The present lived experiences of PCSOs, their colleagues and middle to senior managers have been used to assess the likely future direction of the role and responsibilities of these "public auxiliaries". Design/methodology/approach - Structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with 39 serving officers from three police forces. The corpus of data was analysed for ideal types identified in previous academic work, varying models or complete alternatives. Findings - It was found that the PCSO role can be viewed as a continuum from what is termed in this piece, a "Junior Enforcer" role with a remit to assist constables to a "Bridge Builder" or uniformed community development worker at the other extreme. The study found that there is a marked drift towards the role of "Junior Enforcer" but that paradoxically this can assist, rather than be an alternative to "Bridge Builder" activities. Practical implications - A strengthened enforcement role can assist with resolving community issues. The challenge going forward will be to maintain a balance between the extremes of the role. Too few or too less enforcement powers will undermine effectiveness, whereas a concentration on enforcement will ultimately damage the ability of the PCSO to engage with hard-to-reach communities. Originality/value - Very little if any independent fieldwork is being done with UK "quasi-police", the most recent major studies having taken place soon after their inception in 2002. Exploration of the experiences of serving officers best illustrates the practical issues legislation, policy and procedure generate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A three-stage paradigm for telephonically assessing suicidal risk and triaging suicidal callers as practiced in an Employee Assistance Program Call Center was investigated. The first hypothesis was that the use of the procedure would increase the probability that callers would accept the clinician's recommendations, evidenced by fewer police interventions. The second hypothesis was that there would be an increase in confirmed appointments with providers. Samples involved three separate 6-month periods. Results indicate the effectiveness of the paradigm with both hypotheses supported. Follow-up data for the year after completion of this study yielded similar results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to describe the lessons that both occupational social workers and those in other settings could learn from the development, utilisation and verification of a financial literacy course. This course, entitled "Be Money Wise" was developed by Police Social Work Services and implemented as part of the basic training of student constables. In-depth research showed that it had a significant effect on recipients and produced a high return on the employer's investment. The course and its results could be used as a basis to extend this type of service to other social workfields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Citizens'' attitudes toward police have been examined in a variety of contexts during the past several decades. Additionally, the importance of juveniles'' attitudes towards the police has received considerable attention during the past decade. The current article examines attitudes toward police from a large, multi-site study of sixth to ninth grade youths. Three specific questions were examined: (1) What is the influence of police contact (generally and by different types of contact) on juvenile attitudes toward the police? (2) How does involvement in delinquent subcultures affect these attitudes? (3) How do community contexts and ties influence juvenile attitudes toward the police? Results suggested that community ties and involvement in delinquent subcultures substantially mediate the influence of police contact on juveniles'' attitudes toward the police. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Latin American countries pursue a variety of reforms to reduce and prevent violent crime, ranging from new penal codes to restructured police forces. The most promising and popular approach to crime reduction is community-oriented policing which, in contrast to most forms of traditional policing, seeks to empower citizens by building police-community partnerships. Similar reforms in two cities in Brazil and four in Honduras show that community policing will be most effective where executive and security officials engage with social groups, either through direct contact with civil society or through state institutions that address the concerns of highly violent poor areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Youths'' opinions about the police matter and can affect officers'' ability to perform their duties. The relationship between police officers and youths, however, is often highly strained. Despite the importance of trust in effective police programming, little is known about youngsters'' trust in the police and the association between trust and other views and experiences of adolescents. In a quantitative multivariate model, the current study assessed several correlates of Stoutland''s (2001) dimensions of police trust in a large sample of Chicago youths. The study examined the relationship between youths'' trust in the police and their attitudes, beliefs, experiences, behaviors, and background characteristics. Supportive of Stoutland''s (2001) results, the investigation found that trust in the police was a multidimensional construct. The current study also found a relationship between vicarious experiences and trust and evidence for the negativity or asymmetrical bias that has appeared in previous studies of police-citizen contacts. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to compare family group conferences (FGCs) facilitated by police officers with those facilitated by a civilian along several dimensions including process, reparation agreements, recidivism, and time until failure. Design/methodology/approach - Using observational data and juvenile histories of offending from the Indianapolis Restorative Justice Project, the authors attempted to answer four research questions: Are family group conferences facilitated by police officers procedurally different from family group conferences facilitated by civilians?; Are reparation agreements resulting from police-officer-facilitated conferences different from reparation agreements resulting from civilian-facilitated conferences?; Did youths who participated in police-facilitated conferences recidivate at different rates compared with youths who participated in civilian-facilitated conferences?; Did youths who participated in police-facilitated conferences have a longer time to failure than youths who participated in civilian-facilitated conferences? Findings -Generally, there appeared to be no major differences between conferences facilitated by civilians as opposed to police officers. Observations indicated that police officers seemed to lecture offenders more during the FGC and made more suggestions as to what should be in the reparation agreement. Youths who attended police-officer-facilitated conferences "survived" somewhat longer before re-offending than youths who attended civilian-facilitated conferences, although these differences were not statistically significant. Research limitations/implications - While subjects in the Indianapolis experiment were randomly assigned to family group conferences or a "control group" diversion program, subjects were not randomly assigned to conferences according to facilitator type. This limits the generalizability of the findings. Practical implications - The study suggests that both police officers and civilians are capable of facilitating FGCs, consistent with restorative justice principles. For police departments interested in responding proactively to early juvenile offending and in strengthening ties with the community, FGCs provide an opportunity through police officer training and involvement as conference facilitators. In contrast, in communities where the police may be disinclined to commit officers to the role of facilitator, the findings suggest that civilian facilitators can also effectively coordinate FGCs. Originality/value - The study adds to the restorative justice literature by further examining conference processes and outcomes. Additionally, it offers the first empirical examination of some of the concerns that have been raised about police- as opposed to civilian-facilitated conferences. The finding that there were few differences between police- and civilian-run conferences suggests that the police are at least as capable as civilians in facilitating FGCs. This suggests that FGCs could be implemented as part of a community policing initiative utilizing police officers as facilitators. Similarly, FGCs could be implemented as part of a community justice initiative utilizing civilians as facilitators. The key to successful outcomes is likely to be driven by fidelity to theoretical principles as opposed to the formal role of the facilitator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research examines the influence of community-oriented policing (COP) on citizens' crime-reporting behaviors. The study's data consist of incidents of violence obtained from the Area-Identified National Crime Victimization Survey that were linked to city-level measures of police involvement in COP. Multinomial logistic regression analyses reveal that although third-party police notification is more likely in cities with large numbers of full-time COP officers, victims residing in such cities are significantly less likely to report to the police than they are to report to non-police officials. However, in cities where the training of police officers in COP is relatively extensive, victims demonstrate a preference for police notification (relative to both non-police notification and non-reporting). Lastly, multiplicative models indicate that police involvement in COP has less of an influence on the reporting behaviors of residentially unstable victims who likely lack strong social ties to the communities in which they reside. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]