Resources

The United States is becoming increasingly diverse as people emigrate from around the world seeking opportunities. The multicultural society this is generating presents new challenges for law enforcement. Recent immigrants can be both more vulnerable to crime and less likely to report it to law enforcement. Local police departments often feel blindsided by the rapidly growing pace of diversity in their communities and, therefore, have little comfort dealing with policing in this environment.

In 2000, after decades of enacting mandatory minimum sentences and limiting early releases from prison, state leaders in Nebraska recognized the need for a new approach to control prison growth while maintaining public safety and holding people accountable. In 2003, the Legislature created the Community Corrections Council, which was charged with creating a community corrections infrastructure for the state.

Vera’s Prosecution and Racial Justice Program (PRJ) works with district attorneys and their staffs to collect and analyze data that can identify inappropriate racial disparities in prosecutorial decision making and guide corrective action when necessary. This report discusses PRJ’s methods and identifies lessons learned from its government partners in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin; Mecklenburg County (Charlotte), North Carolina; and San Diego County, California.

Law enforcement officers need to communicate with the people they serve to do their jobs safely and effectively. Yet due to changing demographics across the United States, police officers in many areas interact almost daily with people who do not speak or understand English well. To meet this challenge, a growing number of police agencies are developing programs to effectively communicate with diverse communities. The U.S.

Lessons to inform policy: foster children and clinical trials by Jill Pope -- Partner profile: Unexpected findings lead Multnomah County to change policy by Jill Pope -- From Vera's Director: Madoff scheme forces closure of JEHT Foundation -- New policing practices focus on language barriers by Abbi Leman -- Q&A with Siobhán Carney, Special Assistant to the President and Director, interviewed by Nicole Lemon -- News and announcements

In 2005, New York City’s Administration for Children’s Services asked the Vera Institute of Justice to conduct an independent review of the experiences of foster children who were enrolled in clinical trials for conditions related to HIV and AIDS beginning in the early 1980s. After interviewing people familiar with the trials, reviewing policy documents, and examining the child welfare files of 796 children, Vera staff identified 532 children who were enrolled in 88 clinical trials and observational research studies.