"Does the absolute risk of violence during mental health crises justify deadly force? Recall that first-episode psychosis is the most dangerous phase of mental illness. Psychosis is hard to hide, but psychosis alone doesn't justify the use of deadly force. Deadly force is allowed only if "the officer has probable cause to believe that the suspect poses a significant threat of death or serious physical injury to the officer or others.""
"A 2024 article reviewing 22 studies of first-episode psychosis found a 13.4 percent prevalence of "any violence." That percentage may be "significant," but the article's definition of "any violence" included conduct that posed no risk of death or serious physical injury, like merely yelling at someone. Only 2.2 percent of violence resulted in "serious injury." Deadly force is almost always an overreaction."
Jabez Chakraborty experienced a mental health crisis and was shot four times after charging an officer with a large kitchen knife when police, not medical responders, arrived. First-episode psychosis represents the most dangerous phase of mental illness, but psychosis alone does not justify deadly force; deadly force requires probable cause of a significant threat of death or serious injury. A review found 13.4 percent prevalence of any violence in first-episode psychosis, while only 2.2 percent involved serious injury, indicating most violent acts posed no lethal threat. Crisis-response teams of mental-health professionals reduce risk and need police backup in only a tiny fraction of cases.
Read at Psychology Today
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