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.

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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 and in treatment, on the road to recovery. That’s because diversion programs like CIT reduce arrests of people with mental illness while simultaneously increasing the likelihood that individuals will receive mental health services. CIT programs also:

• Give police officers more tools to do their jobs safely and effectively. Research shows that CIT is associated with improved officer attitude and knowledge about mental illness. In Memphis, for example, CIT resulted in an 80% reduction in officer injuries during mental health crisis calls.

• Keep law enforcement’s focus on crime. Some communities have found that CIT 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 isn’t easy to estimate exactly how much diversion programs can save communities. However, incarceration is costly compared to community-based treatment. For example, in Detroit, an 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 information and support to NAMI Affiliates and State Organizations, local law enforcement, mental health providers, and other community leaders about CIT implementation. NAMI also works with local and national leaders to establish standards and promote innovation in CIT.