NCJ Number
146960
Journal
Federal Probation Volume: 57 Issue: 4 Dated: (December 1993) Pages: 17-21
Date Published
1993
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article discusses mental conditioning as a component of probation officer safety that is often overlooked or minimized in training programs.
Abstract
The discussion addresses five areas of mental conditioning: the color code of awareness, crisis rehearsal, the continuum of force, kinesics, and positive self-talk. Color code awareness is a universal language among officers that reminds them of the potential threat level. The code is an indication of a person's mental awareness of his/her surroundings and the people in it. The model presented in this article uses conditions white, yellow, orange, red, and black to represent the five levels of awareness, anticipation, concentration, and self-control that constitute a mind set. Another technique of mental conditioning is mental crisis rehearsal. The officer mentally rehearses various worse-case situations and how to respond appropriately to them. This is a form of conditioning that mitigates the tendency toward confusion and uncertainty in a crisis. A third concept in mental preparedness is the continuum of force, which involves the various levels of appropriate force to use in responding to an aggressor, from mere presence to lethal force. The fourth element of mental preparedness is a proficient knowledge of kinesics, which is the study of nonverbal behavior. An officer who can read body language will be a step ahead in countering a potential assailant's aggressive behavior. Positive self-talk is the fifth component of mental preparedness; it consists of repeated mental affirmations to oneself regarding preparedness for crises. This cultivates alertness, quick responses, and a determination to survive crises. 15 references