Community Justice Social Work: New Ideas in Social Work in Criminal Justice Social Work Practice

Background and Purpose

In recent years there have been several efforts to reimagine how social work and law enforcement can work together. Coupled with larger social justice movements to bring more consideration to the ways in which we police, these efforts have become both crucial, and in demand. McClain (2020) points out that such collaborations are essential for addressing many social issues and that social workers can help police officers carry out their functions more effectively, more humanely, and with less cultural and racial bias. Sherraden (2020) outlined three directions for continued collaborations between social workers and police officers. First, social workers can respond to emergency po[1]lice calls that involve nonviolent community issues. Second, social workers and police officers can respond together to social issue calls that can involve violence, such as interpersonal violence, suicide threats, and drug use, particularly when weapons are in[1]volved. Third, social workers can help to reduce unlawful use of force by police officers through training and shifting police culture. This talk focuses on the first point and a model developed to respond to 911 calls in the City of Los Angeles. Crisis and Incident Response through Community Engagement (CIRCLE) was created to respond to the over 80% of 911 calls that do not involve any immediate threats or risk of harm. By partnering a Social worker and a community member, CIRCLE teams are able to deescalate and link individuals in sever distress, especially psychiatric distress, into services.

Methods

Data was collected on the engagement and outcome of CIRCLE teams over a 3 month period as part of an efficacy test. These included interviews with the teams about how they felt their involvement went and the outcomes they were able to achieve. The data is experimental, with no control group and using descriptive and qualitative data to explain the feasibility and promise of this type of intervention in a large urban environment which receives nearly 450,000 calls a year, far too many for traditional “first responders” to address.

Results

The descriptive data examined key issues such as the number of calls, successful engagement, and successful outcomes (defined as avoiding arrest). Over this period, teams responded to over 1500 calls, with an engagement rate of 83%. Incarceration or police involvement was avoided 79% of the time. These data are part of a longer ongoing evaluation, but they show great promise in expanding the City’s ability to address 911 calls. Qualitative data shows that CIRCLE team members find it to be exciting and “a chance to make a difference”.

Implications

Given budgetary, manpower, and resource constraints, creating an alternative that can address the types of distress social workers are best prepared for is an important step forward in helping our communities and furthering the skill and job opportunities for social workers. This feasibility study shows that this approach is safe for CIRCLE team members and the community members they respond to, producing the types of engagement and service linkage that helps move people from distress to care.