In Committee Testimony, Pew Expert Discusses Health Implications of D.C. Policing Reform Bill

On Oct. 15, Ruth Lindberg, manager of The Pew Charitable Trusts’ Health Impact Project, testified at a public hearing of the Washington, D.C. Council’s judiciary and public safety committee regarding the project’s findings on the potential health implications of Bill 23-0882, the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2020. In particular, her remarks emphasized possible impacts on health equity—the guiding principle that disparities in health outcomes caused by factors such as race, income, or geography should be addressed and prevented, providing opportunities for all people to be as healthy as possible—and on individual and community health.