Role of Security Personnel in a Psychiatric Facility (From Assaults Within Psychiatric Facilities, P 145-155, 1983, John R Lyon and William H Reid, eds. - See NCJ-100728)

• NCJ Number: 100792
• Author(s): G W Nyman
• Date Published: 1985
• Length: 11 pages
• Sale Source: Grune and Stratton, Inc.
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS.

Annotation

This paper discusses the role of security personnel in various types of psychiatric facilities, parameters affecting a security unit, security administration and staffing, security response to various types of patients, types of security incidents, and the visibility of security personnel.

Abstract

Both public and private psychiatric hospitals depend on their own security units to protect patients, visitors, staff, and property. The budget constraints of public psychiatric hospitals limit security staff compared to private hospitals. General hospital psychiatric units rely on the general hospital security unit. Among factors affecting the parameters of a security unit's operations are the hospital's geographic location and the institution's type of governance and funding structure. Security managers should be involved in clinical staff meetings, and security chiefs should be well credentialed and experienced. Security responses to various types of patients will vary according to whether patients are voluntary or involuntary, are forensic patients, and also according to patients' ages and diagnoses. Security personnel are not usually called in by clinical staff unless problem behavior is repetitive, widespread, or significantly disruptive. Uniforms provide needed visibility for security personnel.