Mental Illness and the Use of Lethal Force in Canada: A Critical Policy System Analysis

The use of police lethal force is an unresolved and urgent critical social issue. Most recently, the deaths of those in mental health crises during police interventions have increasingly led to public controversy in Canadian society, especially in circumstances where the victim suffered from a mental illness. This study sought to locate policy that justified the use of lethal force by police officers on persons with mental illness (PMI) and provide recommendations to amend policy to uphold the sanctity of life. The primary objective of the study is to challenge our current policing and criminal justice systems and apply principles of restorative justice with the goal of obliterating police shootings and healing communities in the aftermath of state-sanctioned deaths. This study used an interpretive policy analysis framework to analyze lethal force policies at the federal, provincial and municipal levels of government in Canada. The findings of the study revealed that the policies allow for police to uphold the social relations of power and determine whether or not to end a citizen’s life. The policies normalize state violence as an appropriate response to social issues and allow for police officers to hold vast discretionary power in determining to use force when they perceive a threat. A primary latent goal of the policies is to uphold officer safety at the expense of citizen safety. Accountability and lack of transparency of Special Investigations Unit (SIU) investigations and lack of implementation of Coroner’s Inquest recommendations were found to reinforce underlying factors of this social issue. In addition, unclear and conflicting legislation pertaining to the roles of police in our society, specifically in mental wellness checks, is raised as a significant issue in citizen safety in encounters with police. This study contributes to the growing body of Canadian policing research and fills a gap in the lack of policing policy analysis. This study supports decolonization and democratization of policing in Canada and purports that applying restorative justice principles and values can be transformational in the healing of police and community relations. This study contributes to social work education by enlightening social workers to public policy that can have dire consequences for the populations they serve. This study supports the inclusion of social work knowledge and expertise in police interactions with persons in mental health crises. In the pursuit of social justice, this critical social issue cannot be overlooked.