This project will examine the use of police services to respond to behavioral health incidents in Boston Public Schools (BPS). Using 911 call data and police incident reports, researchers will examine patterns of behavioral health-related police responses across BPS to evaluate the nature of concerns that lead to police involvement. The results will be presented to stakeholders at BPS and the Boston Police Department, with the goal of improving behavioral health services for Boston-area students.

This project expands on existing work at CISWH, in partnership with Boston Medical Center Department of Psychiatry, focused on examining the relationship between mobile crisis utilization and school mental health services. Together, these projects aim to understand how schools are managing mental health crises and explore opportunities for addressing inequities in access and use of mental health services.

Project Team Members

  • Jennifer Greif Green, Ph.D.
  • Principal investigator; associate professor at Boston University’s Wheelock College of Education & Human Development
  • Melissa S. Morabito, Ph.D.
  • Associate professor at University of Massachusetts Lowell
  • Jenna Savage, Ph.D.
  • Deputy director of the Boston Police Department’s Office of Research and Development

Project Resources

Visit our CISWH PROJECT RESOURCES to see all available project resources.

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