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Using Science To Enhance Equity

NCJ Number
307404
Date Published
August 2023
Annotation

This webpage summarizes the final plenary of the National Institute of Justice’s (NIJ) 2023 National Research Conference, which focused on the use of science to enhance equity in the justice system through research that informs better ways to detect and document bruising on victims with dark skin pigmentation.

Abstract

The final plenary of the National Institute of Justice’s (NIJ) 2023 National Research Conference focused on the use of science to enhance equity in the justice system through research that informs better ways to detect and document bruising on victims with dark skin pigmentation. The plenary featured Dr. Katherine Scafide’s research on the use of alternate light sources on various skin tones, which successfully identified the best wavelengths of light to detect bruising in highly pigmented individuals. Her work exemplifies how innovation in scientific research can promote greater equity, and it advances the NIJ’s goals in this area.