Applying Public Health Tools to Criminal Justice Problems: A focus on violence

• In Event: Public Health and Criminology: Integrating Approaches for Collaborative Success

Abstract

One of the fundamentals of a public health approach is eschewing blame—that is, focusing on how to prevent or alleviate whatever health problem needs to be addressed by looking at “upstream” social factors and avoiding stigmatization of those suffering from the problem. In contrast, the criminal justice system is predicated on the idea that individuals should be held responsible (i.e., blamed) for problems that they cause. Criminal trials exist precisely to determine guilt and punish those deemed responsible for whatever act the law has designated as illicit. Issues like gun violence, intimate partner violence, and sexual violence can be approached from both a public health and criminological perspective. Violence is a public health crisis, but also criminal behavior. In this presentation, the presenter—who is both a practicing attorney and earning her master’s degree in public health—will talk about her experience attempting to bridge both perspectives. She will outline three specific areas informed by both public health and criminology: (1) individual interventions before and during court involvement; (2) corrections-based education; and (3) interdisciplinary policy formation. The presenter will relay case examples from her practice and observations in the criminal justice system.

Author

• Elisabeth J. Ryan, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health