Book Review: Crisis Negotiations: Managing Critical Incidents and Hostage Situations in Law Enforcement and Corrections (2nd ed.)

• Author: Robert A. Thompson,Tiffany Stokes
• DOI: 10.1177/0734016805284513
• Published date: 01 September 2005
• Date: 01 September 2005
• Subject Matter: Articles

tive is articulate, engaging, and veryaccessible. Rather, it is the absolute futility of incarcerat-

ing individuals for their natural lives and the sense of injustice that the nature of this sentence

provokes that is so demoralizing. Indeed, as Paluch’s father succinctly puts it, life imprison-

ment without parole can be considered little more than “a silent sentence of death” (p. 208).

Alana Barton

Edge Hill

Crisis Negotiations: Managing Critical Incidents and Hostage Situations in Law Enforce-

ment and Corrections (2nd ed.), by Michael J. McMains and WaymanC. Mullins. Cincinnati,

OH: Anderson Publishing Company, 2001.

DOI: 10.1177/0734016805284513

10.1177/0734016805284513

Incidents involving barricaded suspects, hostage takers, or persons threatening suicide are

only a few of the dynamic calls requiring a proficient and effective law enforcement

response. Officers who first arrive at the scene must quickly assess the situation, secure the

location, estimate the threat level, and direct additional responding units appropriately.

Crisis negotiators have the daunting task of establishing contact with the barricaded sus-

pect (or hostage takers, depending on circumstance), eliciting demands, and resolving the

standoff with the goal of preserving life. For such incidents to be effectively resolved, all

responding units must understand clearly the functions of the others. This will allow a coordi-

nated response to be successful.

An effective negotiator must have the knowledge and capability needed to resolve tense

critical incidents. Crisis Negotiations is a book that gives an intense insight into the intricate

subject of negotiations. Authors Michael J. McMains (San Antonio Police Department) and

Wayman C. Mullins (Southwest Texas State University) also takean in-depth look at critical

incident management.

The text is a brilliant informational tool for both beginner and expert negotiators. The

authors thoroughly explain the ideas and concepts of command centers, negotiating teams

and tactical teams, equipment considerations, intelligence gathering, tactical response,

postincident debriefing, mental health assistance, and support personnel. The text is well

structured and separated into practical chapters that provide essential definitions and infor-

mative examples. The book further assists negotiators by illustrating actual case studies of

past critical incidents. The beginning of each chapter provides an outline of learning objec-

tives for that particular discussion. A summary can be found at the end of each chapter, com-

plete with references for further reading and a set of exercises to focus on what the reader has

learned in that particular chapter.

Of the 14 chapters contained in the book, chapter 8 is perhaps one of the most enlighten-

ing. “Team Structure, Roles, and Command” is an educational tool for those interested in

learning the fundamentals of the negotiation process. This chapter examines a definition of

teams, identifies problems during incidents that are related to team issues, and describes the

roles and structures of response teams that will help overcome the problems that have devel-

oped in the team management of crisis incidents.

246 Criminal Justice Review