From meatpacking to policing, GW researchers bridge disciplines to address inequity

The George Washington University Law School's Equity Institute Initiative (EII) will showcase researchers’ work on racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic equity on September 22 and 23. Justice Innovation Lab (JIL) is an Equity Institute Initiative grant recipient.

This first research showcase, “Collaborate to Create Change: Towards Racial and Socioeconomic Equity in our Scholarship, Research and Teaching,” will feature more than 40 abstracts from GW researchers, including JIL.

With EII funding, GW Law Associate Professor and JIL Director of Science and Policy Donald Braman said, JIL was able to assemble a team of more than a dozen researchers whose work reviewing criminal codes and constructing a database of best practices has provided a foundation for prosecutorial reforms nationwide.

“Concretely there are already hundreds of people not incarcerated as a result of the work EII has supported, and we expect that number to grow rapidly as we onboard new jurisdictions,” Braman said. “This kind of work is incredibly energizing for students and faculty, and it shows how GW can take a leadership position in criminal justice reform and do the kind of work that no one else is doing.”

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