TY - JOUR PY - 1993// TI - The use of mental health professional consultants to police hostage negotiation teams JO - Behavioral sciences and the law A1 - Butler, W. M. A1 - Leitenberg, H. A1 - Fuselier, G. D. SP - 213 EP - 221 VL - 11 IS - 2 N2 - Three hundred law enforcement agencies in the United States that employ a negotiator in hostage incidents responded to a survey regarding the use of mental health professionals as consultants to the negotiation team. Thirty-nine percent of the agencies with a negotiator use a mental health professional consultant to the negotiation team. Police agencies that use a mental health professional as a consultant on negotiation techniques reported more hostage incidents ending by negotiated surrender and fewer hostage incidents ending by tactical team assault and arrest of the perpetrator. Also, police agencies that use a mental health professional as a consultant on the assessment of the perpetrator reported fewer hostage incidents resulting in the serious injury or death of a hostage. Although these results are only correlational, they raise the possibility that the use of mental health professionals as consultants to police hostage negotiation teams may decrease the risk of hostage injury and death.
Language: en
LA - en SN - 0735-3936 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/bsl.2370110210 ID - ref1 ER -