Lessons from Reducing Racial Inequalities in the Criminal Justice System
Limitations, Challenges, and Promising Approaches for Public Health Data Collection
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Report Publish Date: January 2021
This issue brief summarizes workshops held by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) from January to April 2021 to explore how to reduce racial inequities in the U.S. criminal justice system.
Primary Takeaways
The authors say we need more research and data on:
- the intersection of disability and criminal justice, especially from the perspective of people of color with disabilities;
- LGBTQ youth of colors’ needs and experiences in the criminal justice and child welfare systems, where they are overrepresented compared to their White and non-LGBTQ peers;
- young people of color, including Tribal youth, and the disparities they experience at all stages of criminal justice;
- what works to reduce harm in policing;
- the impact of correctional health systems on health disparities; and
- the relationship between childhood trauma and being involved in the criminal justice system, as well as interventions to address trauma and mental health challenges.
Overview and Objectives
The NASEM workshops brought together diverse stakeholders and experts in the criminal justice system as part of work on a consensus study on reducing racial inequities in the criminal justice system.
Hypothesis or Approach
The authors synthesized the workshop presentations, highlighting “limitations, challenges, and promising approaches for enhancing public health and criminal justice data systems.”
How This Influences Change
“[I]mproving criminal justice data systems will enhance public health data and our understanding of the connections between the two, as well as create systematic opportunities for reducing racial inequality,” the authors write.
Research: Go Deeper
The Committee on Reducing Racial Inequalities in the Criminal Justice System of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a series of public information gathering sessions from January through April, 2021 as part of its exploration of ways to reduce racial inequalities in criminal justice outcomes in the United States. These workshops enabled the committee to gather information from a diverse set of stakeholders and experts to inform the consensus study process and report, in addition to the extant peer-reviewed, scientific literature. The committee heard from various criminal justice and public health experts on the topic of enhancing data systems.
Given the interrelated nature between the social determinants of health and drivers of inequality in the criminal justice system, there are many areas of overlap, which present opportunities for collaboration and data enhancement across systems. Furthermore, inequalities in public health are mirrored by inequalities in criminal justice outcomes, with disparities observed across different social identities (e.g., race, ethnicity, gender, LGBQ/GNCT, and disability status). This document synthesizes the information presented at the public workshops on limitations, challenges, and promising approaches for enhancing public health and criminal justice data systems.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2021
Research Team
- Committee on Reducing Racial Inequalities in the Criminal Justice System of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Related Research to Explore
Reducing Racial Inequality in Crime and Justice