Health, Justice, and Community: Findings from Rhode Island's Health and Justice Research Symposium.

Abstract

On April 17, 2026, the Center for Health and Justice Transformation (CHJT) convened the Rhode Island Health and Justice Research Symposium at Brown University. The event united researchers, clinicians, community advocates, policymakers, and people with lived experience of the criminal legal system to share findings, build connections, and identify shared priorities. This article synthesizes the proceedings of the symposium along five themes: Evidence-Based Interventions, Pressing Tensions, Existing Barriers, Open Questions, and Shared Vision. Across all five, a single thread recurred: Rhode Island's position as a national innovator in carceral health rests not on the agility afforded by its comparatively small size, but on its collaborative relationships and institutional capacity.