Treating Deaths in the Criminal Justice System and Violence in Communities as Public Health Issues: Dr. Roger Mitchell, Immediate Past President of the National Medical Association and Co-Author of Death in Custody

"We know in public health that if you're not counting, there's no way to develop prevention programs or policies.” That understanding explains why forensic pathologist Dr. Roger Mitchell is working to change how the United States tracks people who die while in the custody of police, jails and prisons. "There is no single federal database that identifies who is dying and how they are dying at the hands of the criminal justice system," says Dr. Mitchell, co-author of the book Death in Custody: How America Ignores the Truth and What We Can Do About It, published by Johns Hopkins University Press.

In this Raise the Line conversation with host Michael Carrese, Dr. Mitchell draws on what he’s learned in his varied career path – which includes being one of the first Black scientists in the FBI's laboratories, chief medical examiner of Washington, D.C., president of Howard University Hospital and president of the National Medical Association – to offer solutions to this data gap and also weigh in on:

·       Why communities exposed to violence may be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder;

·       The risk to safety net hospitals from recent Medicaid cuts; 

·       The history and mission of the National Medical Association, the largest and oldest organization representing the interests of Black physicians and their patients.

Mentioned in this episode:

National Medical Association
Death In Custody book

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