How Spirituality Is Incorporated in Police Work: A Qualitative Study

Charles, Ginger

doi:10.1037/e511562010-006

Cited by 5 publications

(6 citation statements)

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“…While few researchers have addressed the theme of spirituality in law enforcement officers, Charles (2009) found police officers who actively incorporated spirituality into their lives often believed this aspect shielded them from work stressors, especially those dealing with human destructiveness and suffering. Feemster (2009) writes that the failure of officers to appreciate the spiritual and noble nature of police work may create a void leading to corruption, illness, and dispiritedness, rendering them incapable of compassionate service.…”

Section: Spirituality and Police Officer Healthmentioning

confidence: 98%

Walk in Balance: Training Crisis Intervention Team Police Officers as Compassionate Warriors

Chopko

2011

Journal of Creativity in Mental Health

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Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT) were developed to enable law enforcement officers to effectively and compassionately respond to calls involving people experiencing psychiatric distress. Mental health professionals responsible for training CIT officers are in a unique position to promote the compassionate treatment of those experiencing psychiatric distress as well as the well-being of the police officers themselves. Fostering spiritual connections and a compassionate-warrior mindset may enhance the training of CIT officers. This article includes descriptions of creative interventions including the use of historical compassionate-warrior comparisons, fictitious stories, and spiritual symbols. These techniques are based on warrior codes of groups such as samurai warriors, martial artists such as Shaolin Kung Fu, medieval knights, Native Americans, and the U.S. military.Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT) were developed to train police officers to more effectively and compassionately respond to the needs of persons experiencing psychiatric distress. CIT training programs are facilitated by mental health professionals (Woody, 2005). These professionals are in a unique position to promote compassionate treatment of those in distress as well as

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Section: Spirituality and Police Officer Healthmentioning

confidence: 98%

Walk in Balance: Training Crisis Intervention Team Police Officers as Compassionate Warriors

Chopko

2011

Journal of Creativity in Mental Health

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“…Within the police subculture, law enforcement and crime fighting is an important aspect (Paoline, 2003;Paoline and Terrill, 2005). The work is exacting and requires high levels of self-preparedness and commitment among its members (Feemster, 2009a(Feemster, , 2009b, and hence there is an acute need to combat trauma, stress and build resilience (Charles, 2009;Gilmartin, 2002;Smith and Charles, 2010). Globally, police officers essentially join the profession with an expectation that they will experience high-risk/challenging events through the course of their employment (e.g., Burke and Shakespeare-Finch, 2011;Haarr, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Spirituality has been identified as a factor in assisting police officers in maintaining health and well-being, having a more generous worldview, reducing stress and building resilience (Waters and Ussery, 2007). Spirituality can broadly be defined as: matters related to meaning, purpose and connectedness to what one considers sacred and how one aligns with that sacredness; cultivation of various qualities to include compassion, wisdom, justice, ethical integrity, harmony and justice; and the experience of standing in relationship to a greater, sacred presence (Charles, 2005; Jones, 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It was suggested that these dimensions tend to diminish under the demands of a police career, and that care must be taken to maintain all the areas comprising one’s sense of self in order to enhance health and functioning as a police officer. The research by Charles (2005) determined that San Francisco police officers who maintained regular prayer and meditation practices believed that these interventions enabled them to perform better in their professional capacities. Subthemes of the study that were germane to police work and spirituality included: spiritual ethics and spiritual calling; spiritual maturity and compassion in policing and coping in police culture; and death and experiences of evil and human destruction.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Dealing with crime, criminals and the criminal justice system through spirituality

Pandya

2016

The Police Journal: Theory, Practice and Principles

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Based on a post-test experimental RCT study of 1,698 police officers across 15 countries, the objective is to study the influence of spirituality on their views on crime, criminals and the justice system, and its influence on perceived job stress and resilience building. Results of the structural equation models and path analysis showed that spiritual programmes influenced the treatment group police officers’ views on crime and the system and enabled building resilience. Variations were observed by country, religion, job profile and service duration. Findings build a case for spiritual training of the police officers interfacing with the domain of criminology.

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“…This paper synthesises pieces of research that are new and timely for the field of law enforcement, and the findings from this synthesis are of particular interest given the comparatively small amount of literature surrounding spirituality and law enforcement. Research in this community is difficult and limited because members generally believe in a code of silence, distrust those outside the culture and consider acceptance of assistance as a sign of weakness (Charles, 2009;Violanti & Paton, 1999;Waters & Ussery, 2007, p. 177). These beliefs have continued to foster a closed society.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Relevance of Spirituality in Policing: A Dual Analysis

Smith¹,

Charles²

2010

International Journal of Police Science & Management

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Operational policing is demanding and threatening. Repeatedly dealing with death, serious injury, horrific crime scenes, the need to be constantly alert whether on or off duty, and being ostracised by communities, friends and family, are only some examples of what officers encounter. All take their toll on police officers: on their health, fitness and well-being, and on their view of people and the world. The toll also extends to those who are served by these officers. While this toll is recognised, there are still high levels of sickness absence, ill health, alcohol/drug-related problems as well as suicides. These are clear illustrations of the challenging nature of policing. If we look at the deeper issues of these challenges — nature of policing and its struggle for good; not being recognised as whole people; not being treated as valuable parts of a community; the reality of facing death and destructiveness on a daily basis — we see that, at a fundamental level, these have a spiritual component to them. This is an important but often unrecognised aspect of policing. Forces emphasise the physical and mental well-being of officers but neglect their spiritual well-being. There are sound reasons for a greater focus on this area. It is morally appropriate to address this area. This paper draws from two PhDs. It identifies the issues related to coping strategies and officer fitness, highlights how the spiritual dimension may assist in the development of coping strategies, and identifies how these issues might be taken forward.

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How Spirituality Is Incorporated in Police Work: A Qualitative Study

Cited by 5 publications

References 0 publications

Walk in Balance: Training Crisis Intervention Team Police Officers as Compassionate Warriors

Walk in Balance: Training Crisis Intervention Team Police Officers as Compassionate Warriors

Dealing with crime, criminals and the criminal justice system through spirituality

The Relevance of Spirituality in Policing: A Dual Analysis

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