THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF SCIENCES, ENGINEERING, AND MEDICINE
Division on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education
Committee on Law and Justice
Committee on Reducing Racial Inequalities in the Criminal Justice System
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Congressional Briefing
Monday, November 14, 2022 – 4:00 p.m.
via Zoom
on
Reducing Racial Inequality in Crime and Justice:
Science, Practice, and Policy
This new report, from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, synthesizes the evidence on community-based solutions, noncriminal policy interventions, and criminal justice reforms, charting a path toward the reduction of racial inequalities by minimizing harm in ways that also improve community safety. Reversing the effects of structural racism and severing the close connections between racial inequality, criminal harms such as violence, and criminal justice involvement will involve fostering local innovation and evaluation, and coordinating local initiatives with state and federal leadership.
This report also highlights the challenge of creating an accurate, national picture of racial inequality in crime and justice: there is a lack of consistent, reliable data, as well as data transparency and accountability. While the available data points toward trends that Black, Latino, and Native American individuals are overrepresented in the criminal justice system and given more severe punishments compared to White individuals, opportunities for improving research should be explored to better inform decision-making.
This briefing was for members of Congress and congressional staff only. The report was publicly released on November 15, 2022 and can be found, in its entirety, on the Web site of the National Academies Press.