Ron Hoffman

About

Biography

Dr. Ron Hoffman served as an instructor and coordinator of mental health training at the Ontario Police College, a centralized police training facility operated by the Ontario Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services. During his time there, he coordinated several programs, including Basic Constable Training (recruit), Advanced Patrol Training (refresher), Coach Officer Training (field training officer), and Crime Prevention Training. He was also responsible for reviewing Coroners’ Inquest recommendations related to police training and procedures. Throughout his career, he has held various positions such as police officer, probation and parole officer, child and youth worker, and community college teacher.

Positions

Full-time Faculty

Faculty of Education and Professional Studies - School of Criminal Justice

Graduate Program Faculty

Graduate Studies - Sociology, MA

Education

BA, Carleton University

MA, Carleton University

PhD, University of Waterloo

Research Interests / Areas

Areas of Specialization:

Police response to persons with mental disorders; Communication and de-escalation techniques used by police officers;

Mental health screening performed by police officers and other front-line emergency responders; Police response to vulnerable populations; Probation and parole.

Research Interests:

Developing evidence-based police training for responding to persons with serious mental disorders; Mental health and cognitive status screening by frontline criminal justice personnel;

Characteristics of persons with mental disorders who have frequent contact with police officers;

About

Publications

Hoffman, R. & Siegel, L. (anticipated 2024). Crim. Introduction to Criminology. Fifth Canadian Edition, Toronto: Cengage.

Hoffman, A. M., Hoffman, R. E., Smith, T. F., Brown, G. P., & Hirdes, J. P. (2024). Mental health issues of children and youth encountered by police. Journal of Community Safety and Well-Being, 9(2), 62-72. https://www.journalcswb.ca/index.php/cswb/article/download/366/1082?inl…

Olmstead, B., Hoffman, R., Brown, G. P., & Hirdes, J. P. (2022). Using the interRAI brief mental health screener to identify persons with mental disorders having repeat contact with police. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 83, 101816.

Hoffman, R., Harman, J., Kinsell, H., & Brown, G. (2021). Costs and savings associated with the police use of the interRAI brief mental health screener. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12, 726469. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt…

Hirdes, J.P., van Everdingen, C., Ferris, J., Franco, M.A., Fries, B.E., Heikkilä, J., Hirdes, A., Hoffman, R., James, M.L., Martin, L., Perlman, C., Rabinowitz, T., Stewart, S., Van Audenhove, C. (2020). The interRAI Suite of Mental Health Assessment Instruments: An Integrated System for the Continuum of Care. Frontiers in Psychiatry. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/

Hoffman, R., Brown, G.B., & Siegel, L. (2020). Criminology: The Core. Fourth Canadian Edition, Toronto: Thomson Nelson Pub.

Hoffman, R. (2019). Tool 4: interRAI Brief Mental Health Screener. Tools for Developing Police-Hospital Transition Protocols in Ontario: A complementary guideline to support the implementation of improving police-hospital transitions: A framework for Ontario. https://hsjcc.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/Tools-for-Developing-Police-Hospital-Transition-Protocols-ENGLISH.pdf

Hoffman, R., Brown, G.P., Martin, L., & Mathias, K. (2017). Developmental Disabilities Justice Toolkit, Ontario: Ministry of Community and Social Services. http://www.community-networks.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Development-Disabilities-Justice-Toolkit-Final-2016-06-17.pdf

Hoffman, R., et al. (2016). The use of a brief mental health screener to enhance the ability of police ofﬁcers to identify persons with serious mental disorders, International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160252716300449

Hillier, L., Harvey, D., Conway, C., Hunt, J., & Hoffman. R. (2016). Finding Your Way™: A collaborative approach to increase awareness of missing person events among persons with dementia. Neurodegenerative Disease Management, 6(2), 107-118. doi: 10.2217/nmt.15.72

Hirdes, J.P., Hoffman, R., Brown, G.P. Barbaree, H., & Curtin-Telegdi, N. (2015). interRAI Brief Mental Health Screener (BMHS) Assessment Form and User’s Manual: A screening level assessment for use by police officers and other front-line service providers. Version 9.3, Washington, DC: interRAI.

Pizzingrilli, B., Hoffman, R., & Hirdes, D.P. (2015). A protocol to reduce police wait times in the emergency department. Healthcare Management Forum, 28, 134-138.http://hmf.sagepub.com/content/28/4/134.full

Brown, G., & Hoffman, R.E., (2007). Dangerous Medicine: Social control of the mentally ill and the police role. Contemporary Issues in Mental Health: Concepts, Policy, and Practice. Canadian Western Geographical Series, 41, 227-241.

Hoffman, R. E., & Putnam, L. (2004). Not Just Another Call...Police Response to People with Mentally Illness in Ontario: A practical guide for the front line officer. Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario. www.forcescience.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Not_Just_Another_Call.pdf

Hoffman, R. E., Lawrence, C., & Brown, Gregory P. (October 2004). Canada's National Use of Force Framework for Police Officers, Police Chief, 125. https://www.policechiefmagazine.org/canadas-national-use-of-force/

Brown, Gregory P., & Hoffman, R. E. (2000). The Re-Design of Advanced Patrol Training for Police Constables in Ontario: Making Use of Evaluation to Maximize Organizational Impact and Efficiency. The Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation, 15(1), 83-100.