There are a number of programs and projects that focus on issues of justice outside the work conducted by Vera's three centers.
Accessing Safety Initiative
The Accessing Safety Initiative helps the federal Office of Violence Against Women make services and facilities more accessible to women with disabilities and Deaf women who are victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.
Child Welfare, Health, and Justice Program
The Child Welfare, Health, and Justice Program researches better coordination between child welfare, public health, and other government agencies. The program is currently exploring issues related to the enrollment of approximately 465 foster children in clinical trials of HIV and AIDS treatments during the late 1980s and 1990s.
Common Justice
Common Justice is a participatory justice demonstration project operating out of Brooklyn, NY, that introduces an innovative new approach to violent crime that meets the needs of victims, reduces recidivism, improves satisfaction with the justice system, and has been proven to work elsewhere in the United States and other parts of the world. The project serves as an alternative to incarceration for those responsible for crimes and an avenue to recovery for those harmed by them.
Guardianship Project
The Guardianship Project serves as legal guardian for people whose age or illness has left them unable to care for themselves, the majority of whom are elderly and economically disadvantaged.
Prosecution and Racial Justice Program
In Mecklenburg County, North Carolina; Milwaukee County, Wisconsin; and San Diego County, California, Vera's Prosecution and Racial Justice Program is developing tools to help prosecutors identify and address patterns of racial disparity in decision making.
Substance Use and Mental Health Program
The Substance Use and Mental Health Program conducts research on justice system responses to the needs of substance users and those with psychiatric disorders.
Washington DC Office
The Washington DC Office now places all of Vera’s diverse capacities—research, demonstration projects, and technical assistance—at the disposal of partners located in or visiting the nation’s capital.