Justice Policy Commentary

Should COVID-19 Be Covered by Workers' Compensation?

Expanding workers' compensation coverage for COVID-19 could be part of a broader response to ensuring an efficient economic recovery from the pandemic. What are the potential benefits and drawbacks?

Michael Dworsky, Bethany Saunders-Medina

Don't Entangle COVID-19 Relief with Cannabis Legalization

Cannabis legalization is a multifaceted decision that has implications for health, safety, and social equity. Whether legalization could fund COVID-19 relief should not be a major focus of debates.

Beau Kilmer @BeauKilmer

Brain-Computer Interfaces Are Coming. Will We Be Ready?

Brain-computer interfaces give humans the ability to directly control machines with their minds. Before this emerging technology matures, it's important for developers to weigh the opportunities against the risks.

Police Officers: This Article Will Make You Better at Combatting Misinformation

By deliberately addressing misinformation, police officers can promote safe and healthy behaviors among those in their communities. The actions they take to combat misinformation and improve protections in their communities are a critical part of the collective campaign to end the pandemic and help people return to their normal lives.

John S. Hollywood @JohnS_Hollywood, Bob Harrison, et al.

Elevating Equity in Los Angeles Juvenile and Criminal Justice Reform

At age 13, Black children are placed in juvenile detention at nearly 3.5 times the rate of white children. By age 17, that ratio increases to 4.5 to 1. And the trend continues into adulthood. Without ongoing attention and deliberate policies and programs, injustices are likely to persist.

Margaret Chamberlin, Stephanie Brooks Holliday

Key Questions to Ask in Designing a Pandemic Risk Insurance Program

Congress is considering establishing an insurance program that would make business interruption coverage for pandemics less expensive and more widely available. We have identified several key questions that policymakers could consider when designing a pandemic risk insurance program.

Lloyd Dixon, Bethany Saunders-Medina

An Uncertain Future for Jail Reform in Los Angeles

There is momentum in Los Angeles County to do the difficult work of criminal justice reform. This will take considerable investments of time and resources, as well as a commitment to implementing new strategies and evaluating their effectiveness along the way.

Stephanie Brooks Holliday, Margaret Chamberlin, et al.

How to Reform Military Gear Transfers to Police

Police officers equipped like soldiers have appeared on the streets of American cities amid recent protests over George Floyd's killing. How should lawmakers reform a program that makes use of excess equipment and is popular with police departments, but that also raises substantial concerns about the militarization of policing?

K. Jack Riley @K_Jack_Riley, Aaron C. Davenport

How to Transform Policing

The killing of George Floyd and other abuses of power have brought about growing calls to alter how we conduct public safety and, more broadly, criminal justice in America. Evidence shows there is substantial room for improvement.

John S. Hollywood @JohnS_Hollywood

Preventing Homelessness Among Survivors of Domestic Abuse

Without assistance, domestic violence survivors are more likely to be forced into homelessness. Now could be the time to invest in programs that help victims—before a second wave of COVID-19 cases pushes more families into unsafe environments.

Sierra Smucker, Alicia Revitsky Locker, et al.

From Warrior to Guardian: A Systems Approach to Reduce Police Violence

Personal accountability will always have a role in policing. But the kind of cultural change that is necessary to prevent tragedy is often best tackled by focusing on the system rather than merely blaming the individual officer.

James M. Anderson, Bob Harrison

Funding—or Defunding—the Police

With calls to reduce spending on police, a question becomes by how much? RAND researchers studied the average amount taxpayers spend for police to respond to a reported crime. These estimates are available in a new tool that makes it easy to visualize police costs per crime by state.

Priscillia Hunt

Defund the LAPD? Garcetti Budget Proposal Takes a Step in That Direction

Calls to “defund the police” have grown common and urgent in the wake of police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and numerous other Black Americans. Research and community activists agree: Public safety can be improved by investing more public dollars in a social safety net, and less in policing and incarceration, in Los Angeles.

Alex R. Dopp @alex_dopp_phd, Stephanie Brooks Holliday, et al.

Revoking the 'License to Drink': Emerging Evidence on Mandatory Sobriety

After counties in South Dakota implemented a 24/7 sobriety program, repeat arrests for impaired driving decreased in the counties by an average of 12%. North Dakota implemented a similar program and also saw decreases in impaired driving. Can the same results be achieved outside of the Dakotas?

Beau Kilmer @BeauKilmer, Gregory Midgette

Is It Time for a Federal Pandemic Insurance Program?

Insurance companies for the most part are not contractually obligated to cover the enormous business interruption losses caused by social distancing and stay-at-home orders. How might the United States design a system for risk spreading and compensation for pandemics? And what roles should insurance and government play?

Lloyd Dixon, Bethany Saunders-Medina