Current Thinking
a forum for ideas, opinions, and strategies on justice policy and practice
May 22, 2013 By Olivia Sideman, research analyst, Substance Use and Mental Health Program
In 1963, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Gideon v Wainwright that the states are required to provide counsel in criminal cases for defendants who cannot afford to pay for a private attorney. In the 50 years since the Gideon ruling, there have been far-reaching improvements to representation for indigent defendants. Increased state,...
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May 20, 2013 This is the first in a two-part series.
In Pennsylvania, approximately one in every 200 adults is incarcerated in state prison, and more than 90 percent of those incarcerated will one day be released from prison. At the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (PA DOC), we recently completed a comprehensive report on recidivism. We believe that recidivism should be a primary measure of...
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Staff profile
Staff profile
Director of Planning, Research, and Statistics, Pennsylvania Department of Corrections
History
Staff profile
Staff profile
Director of Planning, Research, and Statistics, Pennsylvania Department of CorrectionsHistory
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May 13, 2013 Hernan Carvente, an intern with Vera’s Center on Youth Justice and the Center on Sentencing and Corrections since January 2013, was awarded the 2013 Coalition of Juvenile Justice’s Spirit of Youth Award.
Each year, the Coalition of Juvenile Justice gives the Spirit of Youth Award to recognize and celebrate a young adult, under the age of 28, who made great strides after involvement with...
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Staff profile
Staff profile
rshanahan@vera.org
(212) 376-3071
Senior Program Associate
Ryan joined Vera in 2009. She works with corrections departments, juvenile justice agencies, and faith- and community-based organizations to support them in adopting family-focused and strength-based approaches to their work. Ryan led the FYI project to develop standards for juvenile justice agencies on family engagement as well as Vera’s work with Ohio’s Department of Youth Services. Before joining Vera’s Family Justice Program, she was a project director at Family Justice, where she helped develop tools that allow staff at juvenile justice agencies and community-based organizations to learn about the social support of youth and their families. Ryan holds a PhD in Women’s Studies from the University of Maryland where she also received her MA. Ryan holds a BA from the University of Connecticut.
Centers and Programs:
History
Staff profile
Staff profile
rshanahan@vera.org
(212) 376-3071Senior Program AssociateRyan joined Vera in 2009. She works with corrections departments, juvenile justice agencies, and faith- and community-based organizations to support them in adopting family-focused and strength-based approaches to their work. Ryan led the FYI project to develop standards for juvenile justice agencies on family engagement as well as Vera’s work with Ohio’s Department of Youth Services. Before joining Vera’s Family Justice Program, she was a project director at Family Justice, where she helped develop tools that allow staff at juvenile justice agencies and community-based organizations to learn about the social support of youth and their families. Ryan holds a PhD in Women’s Studies from the University of Maryland where she also received her MA. Ryan holds a BA from the University of Connecticut.Centers and Programs:History
May 8, 2013 On Sunday, families around the country will celebrate Mother’s Day. For people like me who are far away from home, we will likely use low-cost, convenient technology to call our mothers, say hello, and wish them a happy Mother’s Day. Unfortunately, for more than 65,000 incarcerated mothers, a low-cost phone call is not possible. As a recent news article describes, a local phone call made from prison or jail has connection fees and high per-minute costs....
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Staff profile
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svillalobosagudelo@vera.org
(212) 376-3160
Research Associate, Family Justice Program
Sandra Villalobos Agudelo joined Vera in July 2010 as a research associate for the Family Justice Program. Sandra’s work has focused on designing and conducting research focused on the positive impacts of family support on different outcomes for individuals involved in the justice system. Recently Sandra has been working with the Council for Juvenile Correctional Administrators developing and testing a set of family standards to inform how juvenile correctional facilities and programs are engaging families in their work with youth. Prior to joining Vera, Sandra consulted for NYC Department of Juvenile Justice, developing performance indicators to monitor the performance of case management functions. She also evaluated the effectiveness of a behavioral modification program for disadvantaged youth at the nonprofit organization Leake and Watts; the project aimed to reduce delinquent behavior while rewarding socially responsible behavior. Before immigrating to the United States, Sandra assisted in the implementation of Bogotá’s LGBT public policies, training public and private organizations about sexual diversity. She holds a master’s degree in psychology from Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá and a Master of Science in urban policy analysis and management from The New School for Public Engagement.
Centers and Programs: Projects: Topics:
History
Staff profile
Staff profile
svillalobosagudelo@vera.org
(212) 376-3160Research Associate, Family Justice ProgramSandra Villalobos Agudelo joined Vera in July 2010 as a research associate for the Family Justice Program. Sandra’s work has focused on designing and conducting research focused on the positive impacts of family support on different outcomes for individuals involved in the justice system. Recently Sandra has been working with the Council for Juvenile Correctional Administrators developing and testing a set of family standards to inform how juvenile correctional facilities and programs are engaging families in their work with youth. Prior to joining Vera, Sandra consulted for NYC Department of Juvenile Justice, developing performance indicators to monitor the performance of case management functions. She also evaluated the effectiveness of a behavioral modification program for disadvantaged youth at the nonprofit organization Leake and Watts; the project aimed to reduce delinquent behavior while rewarding socially responsible behavior. Before immigrating to the United States, Sandra assisted in the implementation of Bogotá’s LGBT public policies, training public and private organizations about sexual diversity. She holds a master’s degree in psychology from Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá and a Master of Science in urban policy analysis and management from The New School for Public Engagement.Centers and Programs:Projects:Topics:History
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May 2, 2013 The costs and benefits of criminal justice policies affect us all—taxpayers, elected officials, practitioners, and society as a whole. As cost-benefit analysts and budget officials know, any meaningful discussion about government costs requires an understanding of marginal costs because these are the costs affected by policy changes.
Because little concrete information is available about how to calculate marginal costs for...
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Main profile
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chenrichson@vera.org
(212) 376-3161
Senior Policy Analyst, Cost-Benefit Analysis Unit
Chris joined Vera in May 2010 as a senior policy analyst in the Cost-Benefit Analysis Unit. Before coming to Vera, he worked for more than six years at the New York City Office of Management and Budget, serving for three years as unit head in the Social Services Taskforce. At NYC OMB, he was responsible for the budget preparation and operational oversight of the Administration for Children’s Services and the Department for Homeless Services and worked on a variety of efforts to ensure the efficient use of public resources. He has also worked on welfare-to-work research at MDRC and retirement policy at the U.S. Social Security Administration. He has a BA in economics from Gettysburg College and an MPP from Georgetown University.
Centers and Programs: Topics:
Staff profile
History
Main profile
Main profile
chenrichson@vera.org
(212) 376-3161Senior Policy Analyst, Cost-Benefit Analysis UnitChris joined Vera in May 2010 as a senior policy analyst in the Cost-Benefit Analysis Unit. Before coming to Vera, he worked for more than six years at the New York City Office of Management and Budget, serving for three years as unit head in the Social Services Taskforce. At NYC OMB, he was responsible for the budget preparation and operational oversight of the Administration for Children’s Services and the Department for Homeless Services and worked on a variety of efforts to ensure the efficient use of public resources. He has also worked on welfare-to-work research at MDRC and retirement policy at the U.S. Social Security Administration. He has a BA in economics from Gettysburg College and an MPP from Georgetown University.
Centers and Programs:Topics:Staff profile
History
May 1, 2013 April marked the national rollout of the Family-Youth Initiative (FYI). FYI is a joint project of the Vera Institute of Justice and the Performance-based Standards Learning Institute (PbSLi) that sets standards for juvenile justice agencies on engaging and including families in the lives of children under the agencies’ care.
The Family Justice Program has long supported juvenile...
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Staff profile
Staff profile
rshanahan@vera.org
(212) 376-3071
Senior Program Associate
Ryan joined Vera in 2009. She works with corrections departments, juvenile justice agencies, and faith- and community-based organizations to support them in adopting family-focused and strength-based approaches to their work. Ryan led the FYI project to develop standards for juvenile justice agencies on family engagement as well as Vera’s work with Ohio’s Department of Youth Services. Before joining Vera’s Family Justice Program, she was a project director at Family Justice, where she helped develop tools that allow staff at juvenile justice agencies and community-based organizations to learn about the social support of youth and their families. Ryan holds a PhD in Women’s Studies from the University of Maryland where she also received her MA. Ryan holds a BA from the University of Connecticut.
Centers and Programs:
History
Staff profile
Staff profile
rshanahan@vera.org
(212) 376-3071Senior Program AssociateRyan joined Vera in 2009. She works with corrections departments, juvenile justice agencies, and faith- and community-based organizations to support them in adopting family-focused and strength-based approaches to their work. Ryan led the FYI project to develop standards for juvenile justice agencies on family engagement as well as Vera’s work with Ohio’s Department of Youth Services. Before joining Vera’s Family Justice Program, she was a project director at Family Justice, where she helped develop tools that allow staff at juvenile justice agencies and community-based organizations to learn about the social support of youth and their families. Ryan holds a PhD in Women’s Studies from the University of Maryland where she also received her MA. Ryan holds a BA from the University of Connecticut.Centers and Programs:History
Apr 29, 2013 Last week I blogged about how men incarcerated at one prison in Ohio celebrated Earth Day. They asked me to share examples of what other institutions are doing to go green. The correctional system in Ohio recognizes the substantial environmental impact of its 28 prison communities, and is taking impressive and holistic steps to reduce its footprint—so there was plenty to share...
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Staff profile
Staff profile
lmorgan@vera.org(614) 728-1693
Planning Analyst, Ohio Green Prison Project
Leah Morgan joined Vera in 2010 to develop the innovative Ohio Green Prison Project, a demonstration project to design and implement green vocational training and reentry programs that benefit incarcerated individuals and reduce the environmental impact and operating costs of prison systems. This work has influenced the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections' Three-Year Strategic Sustainability Plan and introduced environmental literacy programs to facilities across the state. Previously, she used her organizational development expertise in West Africa, by establishing and growing the global headquarters of an African software firm and expanding the outreach of a local micro-finance nonprofit. Prior to her work overseas, Leah was a program coordinator for a nonprofit in Washington, DC, working to support social enterprises and socially responsible business start-ups. She also has experience in curriculum development, having designed and taught courses with a focus on corporate social responsibility and social entrepreneurship at Vanderbilt University and Trinity Preparatory High School. Leah has a bachelor’s degree in human and organizational development and a Master of Education in organizational leadership from Vanderbilt University.
Centers and Programs: Projects: Topics:
History
Staff profile
Staff profile
lmorgan@vera.org(614) 728-1693
Planning Analyst, Ohio Green Prison ProjectLeah Morgan joined Vera in 2010 to develop the innovative Ohio Green Prison Project, a demonstration project to design and implement green vocational training and reentry programs that benefit incarcerated individuals and reduce the environmental impact and operating costs of prison systems. This work has influenced the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections' Three-Year Strategic Sustainability Plan and introduced environmental literacy programs to facilities across the state. Previously, she used her organizational development expertise in West Africa, by establishing and growing the global headquarters of an African software firm and expanding the outreach of a local micro-finance nonprofit. Prior to her work overseas, Leah was a program coordinator for a nonprofit in Washington, DC, working to support social enterprises and socially responsible business start-ups. She also has experience in curriculum development, having designed and taught courses with a focus on corporate social responsibility and social entrepreneurship at Vanderbilt University and Trinity Preparatory High School. Leah has a bachelor’s degree in human and organizational development and a Master of Education in organizational leadership from Vanderbilt University.Centers and Programs:Projects:Topics:History