The following information has been directly sourced from this article published on The Washington Post.

When I was health commissioner of Baltimore, I used to bemoan the fact that the entire amount the city allocated to public health was less than what it spent on overtime for police officers, yet my budget was cut year after year. If the “defund the police” movement can change that dynamic, I’d be all for it — but I would change the terminology. I’d frame it as reimagining public safety through public health partnerships.

Successful models exist for taking a public health approach to violence prevention. My health department oversaw a program called Safe Streets that hired individuals from the communities they serve to work as conflict mediators. Many were ex-offenders. In 2017, these outreach workers stopped more than 1,000 conflicts, 4 out of 5 of which were deemed likely or very likely to result in gun violence. More than two dozen other U.S. cities use a similar public health approach as part of a national effort called Cure Violence.

Other public health programs, across the country, have proved effective at reducing crime. Several studies have found that addiction treatment decreases robberies and thefts; for every dollar spent on drug treatment, as many as three are saved in crime reduction. Longer-term approaches include investing in early-childhood education; preventing lead poisoning; and providing food, housing and recreational outlets. All work to increase opportunity and decrease the hopelessness that later contributes to criminal activity.

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