Visual and narrative representations of mental health and addiction by law enforcement

In Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada's third largest city, the Vancouver Police Department (VPD), has positioned itself as being at the forefront of mental health regulation. The VPD problematization of the "mental health crisis" in Vancouver draws on discourses of addiction and dangerousness. This is partially achieved by the twinning of mental health with addiction (dual diagnoses) and a focus on illegal drug consumption, and is supported through law enforcement's role as active claims-makers. Consequently, there is a mobilization of resources to identify, discipline, and contain people identified as mentally ill and addicted with little examination of both the textual and visual discourses that serve this purpose. This article addresses this gap through an analysis of the images and discursive framing of people with mental illness and addictions by the VPD in two Vancouver Police Department reports published in 2008 and 2009.