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A Community-Response Approach to Mental-Health and Substance-Abuse Crises Reduced Crime

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  • Dee, Thomas Sean

    (Stanford University)

  • Pyne, Jaymes

Abstract

Police officers often serve as first responders to mental-health and substance-abuse crises. Concerns over the unintended consequences and high costs associated with this approach have motivated new emergency-response models that augment or completely remove police involvement. However, there is little causal evidence evaluating these programs. This pre-registered study presents quasi-experimental evidence on the impact of an innovative “community response” pilot in Denver that directed targeted emergency calls to health-care responders instead of the police. We find robust evidence that the program reduced reports of targeted, less serious crimes (e.g., trespassing, public disorder, resisting arrest) by 34 percent and had no detectable effect on more serious crimes. The sharp reduction in targeted crimes reflects both that health-focused first responders are less likely to report individuals they serve as criminal offenders and the program’s spillover benefits (e.g., reducing crime during hours when it was not in operation).

Suggested Citation

  • Dee, Thomas Sean & Pyne, Jaymes, 2021. "A Community-Response Approach to Mental-Health and Substance-Abuse Crises Reduced Crime," OSF Preprints zsaf5_v1, Center for Open Science.
    • Handle: RePEc:osf:osfxxx:zsaf5_v1
    DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/zsaf5_v1
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Steven N. Durlauf, 2006. "Assessing Racial Profiling," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 116(515), pages 402-426, November.
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