Beyond Arrest: Prioritizing Community Safety & Wellness

On Thursday, March 2, The Data Collaborative for Justice hosted a webinar: “Beyond Arrest: Prioritizing Community Safety & Wellness”, where we brought together researchers and practitioners to discuss the most recent research on alternatives to arrest and the practical implementation of these alternatives.

PANELIST BIOGRAPHIES

Research Panel

2-3pm EST

Researchers shared an overview of alternatives to arrest programs throughout the country, highlighting those which have been found to be effective, promising, and in need of further evaluation. Research panelists also shared their perspectives on challenges and opportunities for the continued use and replication of these programs.

Moderator

Anita Ravishankar (Director of Criminal Justice, Arnold Ventures)

Panelists

Anna Harvey (Director of the Public Safety Lab, New York University)

Emily Knaphus-Soran (Professor of Sociology, University of Washington)

Jac Charlier (Executive Director, TASC)

Melissa Labriola (Senior Behavioral Scientist, RAND Corporation)

Policy & Practice Panel

3-4pm EST

Following the research panel, practitioners, both law enforcement and program leaders, who have implemented alternatives to arrest in their local jurisdictions, discussed their approaches to the work of mitigating arrest, how they identify individual needs and appropriate services, and how these programs might be more impactful.

Moderator

Marc Krupanski (Director of Criminal Justice – Policing)

Panelists

Jonathan Brooks (Deputy Chief of Police, Tulsa, OK PD)

Malika Lamont (Director – LEAD Bureau Washington State Technical Assistance Team)

Mariela Ruiz-Angel (Director, Albuquerque Community Safety Department)

Moki Macias (Executive Director of the Atlanta-Based Policing Alternatives & Diversion Initiative [PAD])

DCJ has released an associated report, “Lower-Level Enforcement, Racial Disparities, and Alternatives to Arrest: A Review of Research and Practice from 1970 to 2021.” This report synthesizes the literature on policy, practice and research to-date on alternatives to arrest, focusing on five key models: Citations, Pre-Arrest Diversion Programs, Legalization (& Decriminalization), Police-Involved Crisis Response Models, & Non-Police Models.