New HPIO brief explores intersection between criminal justice, health and race

The Health Policy Institute of Ohio has released a new brief titled, Connections between Criminal Justice and Health: Insights on Justice and Race.

According to the brief, “The two-way relationship between criminal justice and health is influenced by racism and other forms of discrimination, which can drive poor outcomes in both sectors.”

Building on HPIO's Connections between Criminal Justice and Health policy brief released in June, this brief highlights the many ways that racism impacts criminal justice outcomes, finding that:

• Disparities in the criminal justice system are not inevitable, and although unjust biases, policies and structures exist, improvement is possible.
• Ohioans of color experience barriers to justice stemming from a long history of racism in the criminal justice system that casts a shadow over modern policymaking.
• Public and private stakeholders can take meaningful action to eliminate racism in the criminal justice system and improve health, safety and well-being for every Ohioan.