New Research Studies Embedded Co-Responders

Examining Police-Social Work Programs

In situations where mental health and social services are needed, aggressive law enforcement responses can be harmful. Embedded co-responder programs, also known as police-social work programs, in which clinicians are physically located at police departments, have emerged as an alternative model for responding to the mental health needs of community members in crisis and the threat of violence. This topic is explored in a new study by Cassandra Atkin-Plunk, PhD, associate professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice; and Vaughn J. Crichlow, PhD, of the University of Connecticut, in a new article published in Criminal Justice and Behavior, titled “‘Meshing into One’: An Assessment of Law Enforcement and Clinician Perspectives on Professional Roles and the Embedded Co-Responder Model.”