Police Social Work

Author(s):  
George T. Patterson

Police social workers are professionally trained social workers or individuals with related academic degrees employed within police departments or social service agencies who receive referrals primarily from police officers. Their primary functions are to provide direct services such as crisis counseling and mediation to individuals and families experiencing social problems such as mental illness, alcohol and substance use and abuse, domestic violence, and child abuse, among others. Additional functions of police social workers include training police officers in stress management, mental illness, substance abuse, domestic violence, and child abuse; providing consultation to police officers; and counseling police officers and their families.

1994 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 687-696
Author(s):  
Gilda Scardaccione

Drug abuse in juveniles is a complex juridical matter. There is neither specific legislation enacted nor special therapeutic programs for deviant populations of this age. Statistics are limited to drug addicts who have been involved with state agencies, such as administrative, judicial or police departments. In recent years some reforms have been enacted, especially for procedural aspects of the trial. Legislation now in force offers opportunities for alternative dispositions for juvenile drug addicts, including educational programs under the supervision of social service agencies. This situation can be improved further by better coordination between drug abuse legislation and juridical norms concerning the procedural phase of the trial. The problem of juveniles and drug abuse, especially when organized crime is involved, has distinctive characteristics which require different control strategies. Peer group influences seem to be the primary psychological dynamic motivating adolescent drug abuse.


2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 330-339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christa C. Gilliam ◽  
Marquis A. Chandler ◽  
Huda A. Al-Hajjaj ◽  
Angelica N. Mooney ◽  
Halaevalu F. O. Vakalahi

Social workers have the capacity and skills to assume leadership positions in social service agencies. Social work educational institutions must continue to prepare and encourage graduates to seek leadership roles in social service agencies. Social work curriculum and post-graduate professional development are significant avenues to ensure social workers will be excellent choices as organizational leaders and administrators. This article offers a review of the literature to identify gaps and ways to cultivate leaders through intentional recruitment and continuous training of social workers in human service leadership and administration.


1971 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 381-391
Author(s):  
Clayton Hartjen ◽  
Richard Quinney

The scope and nature of social problems are frequently a creation of the various organizations and agencies established to deal with some aspect of community concern. The "educational" and other activities of these groups can be seen as attempts at reality construction. Regarding these efforts, this study examined the kind and effectiveness of drug addiction programs sponsored by social service agencies in New York City's Lower East Side and found them to be wanting. The absence of drug programs and the inability of these agencies to effectively carry out projects of this (and any other) kind appears to be a consequence of the funding structure and the existence of conflict between agencies. It is argued, however, that these agencies can serve as a principal base from which community control over and ultimately any just solution to the drug problem may be initiated.


2010 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren B. Gates ◽  
James M. Mandiberg ◽  
Sheila H. Akabas

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (7) ◽  
pp. 1023-1042 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leila B. Dutton ◽  
Tracy L. Tamborra ◽  
Meagan Pittman

This study is a preliminary assessment of police officers’ and victim advocates’ experiences with and perceptions of the Lethality Assessment Program (LAP), a program involving the collaboration between police departments and domestic violence (DV) agencies designed to prevent fatal and serious DV. Participants included 168 officers from 22 police departments and 63 advocates from 10 DV agencies. Results from online surveys indicated that officers and advocates had favorable perceptions of one another. Officers found the LAP to be less effective as a tool to deal with DV cases than advocates. Analysis of qualitative data revealed that officers and advocates identified a number of positive by-products of the LAP, but officers cited more negative by-products than advocates. Recommendations for policy and future research are provided.


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