Reimagining Public Safety: First convening report

Overview

On October 23, 2020, the Justice Collaboratory at Yale Law School and the Policing Project at New York University School of Law hosted a virtual convening of advocates, community leaders, policymakers, practitioners, and researchers to discuss what a reimagined public safety system should look like and how best to achieve it.

Our conversation, summarized in this report, was geared toward identifying solutions and processes for implementing change. Ultimately, this conversation will inform a forthcoming report for practitioners, community members, and government officials to provide resources in navigating their ongoing efforts to reimagine and transform public safety.

Highlights

1). The group identified three foundational shifts that must occur to achieve a new vision of public safety: ending systemic racism; decoupling public safety from policing; and centering community voices.

2). For virtually all participants, reimagining public safety requires building an environment where resources are available to not just reduce violence and crime but also to protect and support physical, mental, social, and economic wellbeing.

3). There is no single solution that will work for every jurisdiction, but there are many commonalities that can inform learning paths and continuous reform efforts.