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Essay on suicide causes and prevention
Suicide causes and prevention
Sociological and psychological theories of suicide
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Police Suicide
Rogozina Anastasia
CJBS 250
Annotated Bibliography
Police Suicide
Introduction
Police suicide is a common topic nowadays, and it has become alarming to the whole world. There are many cases where the police have killed themselves due to various reasons. Suicide is a death done by an individual to himself. The paper provides an annotated bibliography of the police suicide, its rate, causes, as well as measures to prevent it. Some of the causes discussed below are an organizational and operational stressor, family issues, drug abuse, and alcoholism, post-traumatic stress disorder and the lack of support.
Rate of suicide among the police force
Brent, D.A., and Bridge, J.A. (2013). “Firearms availability and suicide: evidence,
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(2014). “Comparing the influence of traumatic and organizational stressors on the psychological health of police, fire, and ambulance officers.” International Journal of Stress Management, Vol. 11, pp. 227-44. Brough (2014), states that the rate of police suicide has increasingly gone high in various places, but in others, it has reduced because of the measures from the law and health sectors. According to the WHO, the rate of police suicide is alarming; for instance, it was realized that 140 New York City police committed suicide in 2008. However, there are still those who went unreported. The analysis of the rates of police suicide has gone high compared to other years. This shows how the health department and law enforcement department have to find ways to reduce the main causes of these deaths. In South Africa, for instance, since 2000 to 2006, the rate has increased from 100 to 250; however, in 2008 to 2010, the rate begun decreasing. This shows that the lawmakers and the health care sector are trying hard to reduce the problems causing suicide among the …show more content…
The researcher identified job-related stress as one of the main causes of suicide. Most of the police officers are associated with violence in many cases, especially in the urban areas. They also do not like the type of job they deal with, especially in the cases of suicide. Stress has been the most dominant because they have low job morale and do not get enough backing from the administration since they work more hours with little pay (Brough and Frame, 2014). Also, the author discusses a lack of acknowledgment as another cause of stress which makes them loose self-esteem as well. There are also other causes of stress such as political barriers, which make them unable to access advancement and promotions, therefore, making them stay in the same position for a long time. The senior police officers used bad motivation techniques such as giving excess punishment for a small mistake such as having an individual’s firearm confiscated for getting to work late. Besides, others have stress slated
Gilmartin, K. M. Emotional survival for law enforcement, a guide for officers and their families. 1st ed. Arizona: E-S Press, 2002.
Police Psychology: A New Specialty and New Challenges for Men and Women in Blue. Thomas, David J. 2011.
Vila, B., Kenney, D., Morrison, G. B., and Reuland, M. (2000, August 28). Evaluating the Effects of Fatigue On Police Patrol Officers: Final Report. U.S. Department of Justice. Retrieved on December 7, 2013 from
Working in corrections has been associated with higher stress rates due to the unpredictable nature of the field (Parker, 2006). Correctional officers are forced into dangerous situations without adequate protection as a result of the prison environment, which can further lead to physi...
Police stress is viewed as a structural problem that is amongst the police culture (Kappeler & Potter, 2005). The argument made is that the working environment causes the stress. Even though a police officers job is not as dangerous officers still determine the danger as a source of stress. Police stress can be split up in to three sources: occupation, job-related and external stress (Kappeler & Potter, 2005). Just the thought of the job gives officers stress. Job-related circumstances such as responding to calls can also create stress. Finally, external sources such as personal stress can all lead to an officer being highly
Some of the world’s most-loved and well-known superheroes include Superman, Batman, and Spiderman. However great these superheroes may appear, their fictional stories also include stressors that they face everyday, such as the villains that they encounter and the pressure of being a hero and an everyday citizen. In this way, stress often negatively impacts the lives of the ones who watch over every neighborhood, every street, and every house. Such is the job of a police officer. Because stress has become an important topic in the community of law enforcement, things that are commonly discussed are the causes of stress, the effects of stress, and the handling of stress in the lives of police officers.
A very important group within the American population has been increasing rapidly as well in suicides. The rate of suicides in the U.S. military is so high now, that in 2012, more service members died from suicide than combat exposure. Determining the driving factors behind this increase is not only important in mission readiness and the safety of our nation but can provide information on whether or not key individuals (whites, males) should not be used in combat situations if already prone to suicide. Because it is already proven in the civilian world that these individuals are more prone to commit suicide, one must wonder if this is true in the military. What characteristics predict whether or not an American soldier will commit suicide? Is it the same as in the civilian world? And if there is any difference, it may be important to know in prevention and treatment as well as selection for service and screening measurements.
These stressors range from exposure to traumatic incidents, working long hours, and the constant risk of injury or death, to the pressure of making quick decisions in high-stress situations. In addition, they experience stress from public scrutiny, demanding job responsibilities, and interpersonal conflicts. It is crucial to address the psychological impact of policing on law enforcement officers to promote their overall wellbeing and effectiveness. This piece explores the concept of emotional survival for police professionals and offers scientifically backed techniques to cultivate mental toughness. The law enforcement officer's exertion can also be due to stress, officers are expected to NOT be heartless but also use their heart less.
Those types of stress are eustress and distress. Eustress is a positive form of stress while distress is a harmful form of stress. When a police officer gets too much of distress, then that is when this type of stress can start to affect their personal and professional lives. Police officers are notoriously known for having levels of stress due to the effects of the job. On average police officers have one of the highest rates of suicide in the nation, the second highest rate of divorce and are twice as likely to develop an alcohol problem as any other profession. There are several stressors that police have deal with everyday that ultimately affects their personal and professional lives. There are several sources of stress that police deal with. One of those sources is that police officers are constantly exposed to other police officers and civilians that are enduring high levels of stress themselves. In many cases this everyday
Briefing Paper # 2 Use of Force Police officers may feel the necessity of using deadly force at some point of their careers. Even though law enforcement officers are allowed to use deadly force and they are fully trained to do so, under certain circumstances the use of the aforementioned method may not be reasonable or necessary. Particularly, the use of deadly force against unarmed suspects has been the basis for controversy and debate among citizens across our nation. Deadly force occurs when an officer intentionally shoots a firearm at a suspect with the risk or purpose of causing a serious injury or death (Attorney General's Use of Force Policy, 2000).
In high pressure situations, especially in larger more dangerous cities, officers should be prepared to react appropriately and efficiently. The notion that it is a reflex to shoot someone in a vital organ is either untrue or shows a lack of diligence required in the training process. Being a police officer should entail just as much empathy as it does bravery. Unfortunately, as of late, too many armed policemen have been making poor decisions and not being indicted merely because of their position of power. According to a CNN article titled “Charging the Police: By the Numbers”, only 26 officers have been convicted for these senseless murders since 2005 (Tate).
In recent years, with easier access to information due to the internet, cases of police brutality and misconduct are appearing at an alarming rate all over the internet. It is in no doubt becoming more apparent to the public eye that the citizens are now paranoid or alarmed not only around criminals, but also around police officers. This paper will discuss situations where lethal methods were used in non-lethal situations, police accountability, and possible solutions to decrease police brutality and misconduct. Police brutality and misconduct can be defined and interpreted in many ways. Different perspectives must be evaluated to properly decide whether the officer performed unlawfully or inappropriately. An officer has a license to kill if,
University at Buffalo. (2008, September 29). Impact of Stress on Police Officers' Physical and Mental Health. Science Daily .
Suicide, it's not pretty. For those of you who don't know what it is, it's the
Intro/Thesis - Suicide is at an alarming increasing rate. However, this matter continues to remain a stigmatic topic. Unless there is more awareness and prevention, suicide will continue to rise.