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Exposing Connections

Law Enforcement

Interactions with law enforcement can reinforce structural stigma

In fact, statistics show that people with untreated mental illness are 16 times more likely to be killed during a police encounter than any other civilians approached or stopped by law enforcement. For example, a black man who has a history of PTSD is approached by police officers on the street. Upon seeing the officers, he is agitated and begins to run away. The officers order him to stop but because he does not comply, he is accidentally shot. No criminal charges against the officers are pursued. In what other ways do you think structural stigma can manifest itself within law enforcement?

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