WK4LTF

1. Listen to Me First: Week 4 Transcript

Speakers: Host, Dr. Grace Telesco

Host: Welcome to this week’s podcast. This week we’ll be discussing family systems in crisis. What are the types of family systems in crisis and how do they affect the criminal justice system?

DR. TELESCO: So I guess we start off with saying that there are lots of different kinds of families, and there are lots of different interactions within families, and so what we mean by various family systems in crisis specifically is that we could be talking about children within the family setting who might be in crisis. Like how? Well, that example I gave earlier about the child in the mall. I mean, certainly that child is in crisis and so is the mother. So that might be an example of a family system in crisis right there. Another example may be child abuse or child neglect.

Elder abuse. You know, many families have their elders living with them or care for their elders in some way, shape, or form, and as we know, there’s not only elder abuse which exists but also elderly who might be suffering with Alzheimer’s or dementia and find themselves lost. So, again, the criminal justice system becomes involved because not only are the police being called as the first line gatekeepers of these different crisis examples, but certainly the criminal justice system plays a role in many different family systems.

Another example of a family system might be a husband and a wife who is maybe engaged in domestic violence or a boyfriend and girlfriend or same-sex couples who live together in some type of family setting.

Also sexual assault is another example—not only marital rape situations but also, again, situations where sexual assault is the crime and it is contained within a family system.

So some of these are examples of different kinds of family systems that might be in crisis and how that operates within the overall criminal justice system.

Host: What roles does the criminal justice professional play in providing mental health services and crisis intervention to individuals and families in crisis?

DR. TELESCO: Let’s say for example we have a victim of domestic violence who calls the police and this is not the first time this has happened. So the police, again, as the gatekeepers, as the first responders, have an obligation to, number one, effectively identify that a crime has been committed, that this domestic violence is occurring, that it has been documented before, let’s say. Make a determination of whether or not this is going to be an arrest. But there is a human service delivery piece here and that is to effectively intervene in the victim’s crisis. How? How do we do that?

Well, we give proper referrals. We let this person know that there is a shelter, perhaps, that might be available for them, that there is a victim advocate that might be available to help them. There might be some support groups that they can go to to help build their self-esteem and empowerment, and then also they want to be able to follow through within the criminal-justice process to effectively prosecute this individual and give them that strength and, again, validation. So all of these are part of crisis interventions strategies in the overarching human service delivery approach.

The other example is juvenile delinquency. So a family calls the police and says we’re at our wit’s end. We don’t know what to do with this adolescent. He has run away over and over again. We think he might be on drugs. He is cutting school. We are getting these truant reports. So that is another example of a family system in crisis, and there are a couple of options that the police can offer to this family.

There is a PINS warrant. We can go to the juvenile court. And so, again, there is an example of the law enforcement interfacing with juvenile court system and also maybe there are other referrals or other avenues of intervention for this particular adolescent, that the police, as the first responders again, and then ultimately through juvenile justice and juvenile court process, can maybe help the family to see that there might be a better way to maybe circumvent, ultimately, this child—this adolescent—becoming incarcerated down the road.

Host: What strategies are often used?

DR. TELESCO: I think I want to go back to a thread throughout this whole course. No matter what week we’re talking about, when we talk about crisis intervention and intervention strategies, the common characteristics are always going to be effective listening, validation, effective communication, paraverbal communication, good eye contact, and letting that person know that they are the most important person and that we’re here to help them kind of thing. So those are some basic characteristics that will not matter, whether you’re a cop, court officer, correctional officer, prosecutor, judge, defense attorney, court stenographer, doesn’t matter. Always those characteristics are going to help you to achieve the goal of crisis intervention.

Now, there are some nuances. Hopefully, each of these different criminal justice professionals are going to be exposed to effective training, whatever their entry-level in service training is, they are going to be taught those crisis intervention skills and what those skills are.

They are also going to be taught what the policies are, what the laws are. So, for example, domestic violence has mandatory arrest policies. If it is child abuse, there is going to be, again, mandatory reporting is going to be in play. So they are going to know the signs and the symptoms of what is juvenile delinquency. They are going to know what child abuse and neglect looks like. They’re going to know what domestic violence looks like, so they’re going to be able to easily identify what these are and then apply the necessary strategies.

Some of those strategies might be arrest. Some of those strategies might be referral. Some of those strategies might be to take the child out of the home and put them in foster care. Some of those strategies might be to get a PINS warrant. A PINS warrant is a person in need of supervision warrant. So it is going to depend on what the family system in crisis is, and we’re hopefully looking at criminal justice professionals who have been effectively trained and adhere to their policies.

HOST: Consider these concepts as you read your materials, complete your assignments, and answer this week’s discussion questions. Follow up with your instructor if you have any questions.

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