Learning to de-escalate: evaluating the behavioural impact of Verbal Judo training on police constables. (3rd July 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Giacomantonio, Chris; Goodwin, Stephanie; Carmichael, Garland
• Is Part Of: Police practice & research. Volume 21:Number 4(2020)
• Page Start: 401
• Page End: 417
• Publication Date: 2020-07-03
• Subjects: Policing -- police training -- de-escalation -- evaluation -- Verbal Judo; Police -- Periodicals; Police administration -- Periodicals; Law enforcement -- Periodicals; Crime prevention -- Periodicals; 363.2
• DOI: 10.1080/15614263.2019.1589472
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1561-4263

Abstract

ABSTRACT: This article presents findings from an assessment of the immediate behavioural impact of the 'Verbal Judo' de-escalation training program, delivered to officers in a Canadian police service in 2017, and represents the first evaluation of Verbal Judo. The evaluation utilized systematic observations of officers in videotaped simulations, comparing a baseline group of officers to officers trained in Verbal Judo. The study found that five of 15 coded behaviours were impacted at a statistically significant level in the hypothesized direction, and these tended to be simpler behaviours encouraged by the training (such as identifying oneself or providing a reason for contact), while more complex behaviours (such as empathizing with the subject) were not impacted. The evaluation also found that likelihood of utilizing de-escalation skills decreased as an officer's years of experience increased. The paper closes by outlining the implications of these findings for de-escalation training, and elaborates the main limitations of the study.