International

Vera works collaboratively with reformers in China to facilitate justice innovations and policy changes in China that are rooted in experience, guided by empirical methods, and consistent with international human rights standards.

The Vera Fellowship in Justice Research and Innovation helps young researchers from China develop and test evidence-based innovations to improve China’s justice system. Fellows work with Vera staff for one month and visit Vera demonstration projects, spin-offs, and relevant agencies in the U.S. justice system as they design pilot programs and evaluations to be implemented in China. Recent fellows have developed programs to prevent the use of torture in police interrogations, reduce the number of juveniles in detention, and make the public criminal defense system more accessible and effective.

Through the United Nations Rule of Law Indicators Project, implemented in collaboration with fellow members of the Altus Global Alliance, Vera seeks to advance the rule of law by providing national authorities with a practical way to identify the strengths of, and challenges to, their nation’s law enforcement agencies, judicial system, and prisons.

With support from the World Justice Project of the American Bar Association, Vera and three fellow Altus Global Alliance members formed the Vera-Altus Justice Indicators Project to develop a set of indicators which could be used in diverse international settings to identify problems with adherence to the rule of law and chart progress towards improving access to justice.