Policing, Mental Illness and Media: The Framing of Mental Health Crisis Encounters and Police Use of Force (Palgrave Studies in Crime, Media and Culture)

"This book examines the complexities of the relationship between policing and mental health in Australia especially including the circumstances that lead to police use of force, and the ways in which news media typically report deaths resulting from police contact with people in mental health crisis. When a vulnerable member of society is killed by the police, it is only natural that questions are asked about the behaviour and actions of those involved. Police are, after all, meant to be the protectors of society. By virtue of these circumstances, fatal encounters between police and mentally ill individuals in crisis often attract heightened media and legal attention, as well as public debate. Drawing together research interviews and extensive case study analysis, the book explores the conditions for the production of this news media coverage, the ways in which it can shape public perceptions of police-involved mental health crisis interventions, and the potential impacts on those involved in and affected by such events. The implications for police agencies are also considered in the context of how they respond to vulnerable people in the community, while being in the media spotlight. This book will appeal to students, scholars and practitioners in journalism, media studies, policing, criminology, sociology, and mental health as well as those interested in learning about the relationship between policing, mental illness, and media representation."-- Provided by publisher Acknowledgements 6 Contents 8 Abbreviations 12 1 Introduction 14 The More Things Change, the More They Remain the Same 19 The Prevalence of Fatal Mental Health Crisis Interventions in Australia 22 The Costs of Fatal Police Encounters with Mentally Ill Individuals in Crisis 25 Aims and Methodology 31 Research Limitations and Contestable Characterisations 37 The Inherent Challenges of Conducting Research on Sensitive Issues 40 Finally, a Note About the Nature of the Content That Follows... 44 References 45 2 The Thin Blue Line of Mental Health 54 The Prevalence of Mental Health Problems in the Australian Community 59 Calls for a Joined-Up Response 61 The Criminalisation of Mental Illness in Media and Through Contact with the Law 66 The Complexities of Police-Mental Health Relations in Theory and Practice 77 Conclusion 81 References 85 3 The Search for Solutions to the Problems of Policing Mental Ill-Health 99 The Technological Solution That Promised to ‘Save Lives and Reduce Injuries’ 103 Body-Worn Cameras, Police Transparency and Accountability 113 Police Training as a Panacea to Lethal Force 122 The Memphis Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Model and Its Derivatives 131 When the Ideals of CIT Training Collide with the Realities of Police Cultures 135 Conclusion 137 References 145 4 Making Sense of Fatal Mental Health Crisis Interventions 159 Pinpointing the Predictors of Use of Force During Police Operations 161 Between Perception and Experience: Defining ‘Risk’ in Police Mental Health Contacts 167 The Power of News Media to Shape Public Understandings of Social Problems 171 Normative Patterns of News Framing of Fatal Mental Health Crisis Interventions 174 ‘Shooting to Stop a Threat’ Versus ‘Shooting to Kill’ 177 Calls for Transparency in the Investigation of Critical Incidents 183 The Role of the Coronial Inquest 185 Conclusion 188 References 191 5 Case Study: The Paul Klein Incident 203 The Unfolding of a Tragedy 205 The Probative Value of News Visuals 209 Reader Response to the Visual Framing of the News Story 215 What the Newspapers Told Readers Alongside What They Showed 220 Shifting Attributions of Responsibility and Blame 222 Manufacturing the ‘Out of Control’ Madman and the Politicisation of Klein’s Death 225 Unsettling the ‘Dangerous Other’ News Frame 228 Media Temporality and the Changeability of News Frames 230 Conclusion 233 References 236 6 Framing Effects and Changing Media Practices 242 Shifting Truth-Claims of News Visuals Across Institutional Domains 245 Legal Scrutiny of Police Duty of Care and Traumatic News Effects 250 A Potential Test Case for News Media Coverage of Crisis and Trauma 253 The ‘Emotional Turn’ in Journalism Studies and Practice 256 Four Corners and the Politics of Police Use of Lethal Force 262 The Marginalisation of Police Mental Health Trauma Narratives 266 Conclusion 271 References 275 7 Conclusion 282 Easily Identified Problems, Harder Found Solutions 287 References 296 References 299 Index 350