Report Publish Date: March 2023

This issue brief describes key takeaways from an expert committee’s review of existing evidence on racial inequality in crime and justice. It includes their recommendations for policy and research that could reduce disparities.

Primary Takeaways

The following can help reduce violence overall: 

• Link data across health, housing, education, employment, and justice systems.
• Reduce gun violence.
• Expand Medicaid and provide primary care to reduce recidivism.
• Tackle youth mental health.
• Reduce harmful environmental exposures.
• Restrict the sale of alcohol at certain times of the week.

Overview and Objectives

An expert committee convened by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine assessed and reviewed scientific evidence regarding racial differences in crime and justice. This issue brief summarizes their full report, Reducing Racial Inequality in Crime and Justice: Science, Practice and Policy, which discusses how the criminal justice system perpetuates racial inequality and how to change that. 

Hypothesis or Approach 

“The committee concluded that policymakers do not have to choose between public safety and racial equity because many of the policies designed to address racial inequalities also make communities safer,” the authors write.  

They identified two approaches that will advance both goals: policy reform throughout the criminal justice system and community-based and social reforms aimed squarely at reducing poverty and disparities among neighborhoods and improving public space. 

How This Influences Change

Understanding what contributes to violence and involvement in the criminal justice system.