ABSTRACT

Police officers play a key role in determining the result of incidents that involve people in mental health crisis given their role as first responders and gatekeepers to services. In this paper, we ethnographically study one Canadian, mid-size municipal police service’s integration of an electronic mental health screener (MHS). The screener was designed to assist officers in undertaking risk assessment, as well as facilitate collaborative action between police and emergency department staff by providing a tool that uses a shared medical language. Drawing on the theoretical concepts of ‘boundary objects’ and ‘technological frames’, we explore: (1) how the technology worked in practice and, what, if any, perceived impact it had on police decision-making; and, (2) how the technology was perceived to affect information sharing and collaboration among the criminal justice and health systems, and subsequently, the outcome of mental health calls for service. From our analysis, we argue that frontline officers and police administration hold differing, and at times, incongruent technological frames towards MHS. Specifically, we argue that frontline officers do not perceive the screener as providing a shared understanding that facilitates risk assessment, but instead perceive it to be a performance management tool used to track officer decision-making, enable the collection and sharing of health information within the criminal justice system, and demonstrate accountability to police service boards. Further, our analysis illuminates the power of experiential knowledge in resisting technological adoption and organisational reform.

摘要

鉴于警察作为急救人员和服务守门人的角色，他们在确定涉及精神健康危机的事件的结果方面发挥着关键作用。在本文中，我们从人种学角度研究了一个加拿大中型市政警察部门对电子心理健康筛查仪 (MHS) 的整合。该筛选器旨在协助警官进行风险评估，并通过提供使用共享医学语言的工具促进警察和急诊部门工作人员之间的协作行动。借鉴“边界对象”和“技术框架”的理论概念，我们探索：（1）技术在实践中如何运作，以及它对警察决策的感知影响（如果有的话）；和，(2) 人们认为该技术如何影响刑事司法和卫生系统之间的信息共享和协作，以及随后的心理健康结果需要服务。根据我们的分析，我们认为前线人员和警察管理部门对 MHS 持有不同的、有时甚至不一致的技术框架。具体而言，我们认为前线人员并不认为筛查器提供了共享的理解有助于风险评估，而是将其视为一种绩效管理工具，用于跟踪警官的决策、在刑事司法系统内收集和共享健康信息，以及向警察服务委员会展示问责制。此外，我们的分析阐明了经验知识在抵制技术采用和组织改革方面的力量。