Policing with a public health lens – Moving towards an understanding of crime as a public health issue. (September 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bucerius, Sandra M; Oriola, Temitope B; Jones, Daniel J
• Is Part Of: Police journal. Volume 95:Number 3(2022)
• Page Start: 421
• Page End: 435
• Publication Date: 2022-09
• Subjects: Police public health -- legitimacy -- reform -- community; Police -- Periodicals; Police -- Great Britain -- Periodicals; 363.205
• DOI: 10.1177/0032258X211009577
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0032-258X

Abstract

Policing organizations are currently experiencing more pressure than ever to address systemic racism and police brutality. Advocates and academics have suggested a range of changes, such as defunding the police, moving towards more body-worn cameras, ensuring higher educational levels of new recruits, implicit bias training, and so on. Our article draws attention and advocates for a different avenue: moving our understanding of crime towards a public health issue. By drawing on some data from the University of Alberta Prison Project, we argue that looking at justice clients with a public health lens would significantly change the way police are trained and respond to incidents. We believe this would have monumental consequences for both justice clients and policing organizations: justice clients will benefit from a police service that is trauma informed, compassionate, and understands their client base, while policing organizations will arguably increase their trust relationship with the public, therefore building legitimacy in the community.