Washington, DC – More frequently, news outlets across the country like the ones below are reporting shocking stories about tragic outcomes stemming from police involvement in mental health emergencies.

• “Camden County Man Dies After Struggle with Police,” Philadelphia Inquirer 4 May 2010
• “Autopsy Links Taser to Cardall’s Death,” Salt Lake City Tribune 19 November 2009

Recognizing the devastating impact of cyclic arrest, incarceration and hospitalization on people with serious mental illnesses and their communities, the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law has launched an initiative designed to reduce reliance on local law enforcement to intervene in psychiatric emergencies. The goal of the initiative, called the Performance Improvement Project (PIP), is to enable community mental health systems to take a more active role in preventing the scenarios whereby people with serious mental illnesses are subject to police intervention.

Five sites were selected to participate in the Performance Improvement Project--Travis County (Austin), TX, Wayne County (Detroit), MI, Allegheny County (Pittsburgh), PA, Multnomah County (Portland), OR, and Westchester County (White Plains), NY. The Bazelon Center, with support from the Open Society Institute and others, is the lead organization. The Bazelon Center will coordinate the initiative and provide partial funding to each project site. The project relies on local expertise and a systematic process of observation and analysis to track down the “root causes” that leave people with mental illnesses vulnerable to police involvement. From this information, project sites will be able to uncover service shortcomings, assess social and fiscal costs, and identify any needed systems improvements. A compilation of findings across sites will reveal structural obstacles faced by public sector providers as they attempt to meet the needs of the most vulnerable people with serious mental illnesses.

“For too long, we have viewed people with serious mental illnesses cycling through jails and emergency rooms as routine, when this is, in fact, a clear signal of failing public systems,” said Robert Bernstein, executive director of the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law.

“Although the results of the Performance Improvement Project will lead to better performance by community mental health providers, the greater goal of this initiative is to illuminate barriers to improvement that stem directly from regulations and policy made at various levels,” Bernstein said.

“Establishing an engaged, coherent and fully-resourced community mental health system improves outcomes for people with serious mental illnesses, reduces costs, and reduces the burden on law enforcement to serve as the social service safety net,” he added.

“This project could represent a giant step forward for community mental health” said Linda Rosenberg, President and CEO of the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare. “Applying a performance improvement model to quantify how policies and practices are actually affecting services makes a lot of sense. Data from this project can fuel long-needed change,” added Rosenberg.

The five sites selected by the Bazelon Center have a history of making efforts to provide coordinated community services and supports designed to help avert mental health crises that lead to contact with law enforcement. Each has also demonstrated interest in pursuing policy reforms that support better outcomes for individuals and improved accountability for government investment in mental health and other human services.