Collaborating for the public good

Globally, the criminal justice system is populated by people with alcohol or other drug dependencies, mental health issues, brain injuries acquired through trauma or drugs, FASD – all matters of primary concern to public health; all inadequately addressed by current public health systems. The police are most often first responders to mental health crises, violence including domestic violence, road trauma and many other public health issues.

The mission of the Global Law Enforcement and Public Health Association(GLEPHA) is to better align policing with public health. GLEPHA promotes the need to engage with public health authorities and associations globally.

Given the underlying determinants of many conditions and much behaviour that can fall into either the criminal justice or the public health realm, and that which happens is very largely determined by factors such as class, gender and ethnicity, organised public health has an obligation to engage with police and other law enforcement to ensure that prevention and responses to this wide range of conditions and behaviours is humane, effective and equitable.

The World Federation of Public Health Associations recently adopted a policy position prepared by GLEPHA: Engaging police and public health sector to collaborate for the public good. This is a breakthrough moment for the movement to bring policing better into the human rights-based public health agenda: the policy calls on organised public health to take the initiative in addressing public health issues currently inappropriately criminalised or for which there is over-reliance on police.

Collaborative approaches that seek to minimise or improve people’s contact with the criminal justice system at the earliest opportunity are essential and more cost effective. GLEPHA will now be working with WFPHA to ensure public health authorities and associations implement the policy actively.

Learn more about GLEPHA’s conferences and advocacy.

Professor Nick Crofts is an epidemiologist and public health practitioner who has been working in the fields of HIV/AIDS, illicit drugs, harm reduction and law enforcement for over 35 years. He is the Honorary Executive Director, Global Law Enforcement and Public Health Association