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Legal Approach

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Injury Research

Abstract

Law has long been an important part of public health practice. This chapter outlines the ways in which the legal system can be used to reduce the likelihood and severity of injury. The chapter explains the authority of the federal and state governments to enact laws to reduce injury. Both public law (statutes, regulations, and ordinances) and private law (tort litigation) are addressed. The tension between such legal strictures, on the one hand, and legally protected individual rights, on the other, is also discussed, as are the ways in which laws can interact with corporations and the products they market. The chapter also describes the injury prevention professional’s involvement with law and with the public policy process.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Boulder, CO, USA

    Tom Christoffel JD

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  1. Tom Christoffel JD
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Correspondence to Tom Christoffel JD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York, USA

    Guohua Li

  2. Center for Injury Research and Policy, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, USA

    Susan P. Baker

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Christoffel, T. (2012). Legal Approach. In: Li, G., Baker, S. (eds) Injury Research. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1599-2_27

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1599-2_27

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-1598-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-1599-2

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