Think Justice Blog
SubscribeSeries: Gender and Justice in America
Overlooked in the Era of #MeToo
Our Overlooked report also showed that women in jail are overwhelmingly survivors of violence. However, programs that are meant to address violence and trauma are often only available to women who have been arrested on certain charges. For example, some jurisdictions provide programming for women arrested on prostitution-related charges. Yet, those...
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Kristi Riley
All Posts
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Jasmine Heiss
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Jack Norton
United Toward Justice
Research by the Vera Institute of Justice (Vera) has demonstrated rising incarceration rates in small, rural counties and declining rates in large, urban counties—so we wondered: is this the product of a country divided on issues of incarceration and justice? ...
#SecondChanceMonth is an Opportunity to Examine What Happens After Incarceration–and Make It Better
America is a nation that prides itself on the generations of immigrants who came here for a better life, but too often we have closed doors that would lead to a better life for a whole segment our community—people who are formerly-incarcerated and desire to be...
New Report Highlights California’s Success in Expanding Access to College for Incarcerated People
“California is different. We could never do that here.” This is what I hear most often from college and corrections staff across the country when I share information about California’s efforts to expand access to college for incarcerated students. But a new re...
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Rebecca Neusteter
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Megan O'Toole
Vera’s Policing Program Releases Second Volume of “Emerging Issues in American Policing” Quarterly Digest
Recent research unveils how factors like police stress, supervision strategies, and calls for service affect officer and community wellbeing. Emerging Issues in American Policing is a quarterly digest tailored to practitioners and community members interested ...
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Shawnda Chapman Brown
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Mahsa Jafarian
This Women’s History Month, Let’s Leave Girls’ Incarceration in the Past
Women’s History Month is a time to celebrate the social, cultural, economic and political achievements of women and girls across the globe, while at the same time calling for renewed commitment to gender equality. This Women’s History Month, Vera is inviting t...
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Jack W. Duran
Justice Brief: The Biggest Justice Reform Stories You Missed Last Week, Explained
1. A new city mobilizes to defend immigrants On Monday, Denver city officials announced the launch of a legal defense fund, called the Denver Immigrant Legal Services Fund, to provide legal representation to immigrants facing detention and deportation. Denver’...
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Karina Schroeder
Majority of Americans Say Voting Rights Should be Restored for People with Felony Convictions
Most Americans believe that people with conviction histories should have their voting rights restored as soon as they’ve completed their sentences, according to a new poll from YouGov/Huffington Post. A solid majority—63 percent—of those surveyed agreed that p...
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Jack W. Duran
Two Oscar-Nominated Films Show the Need for Compassionate Reentry and Diversion Programs
This year, two Academy Award-nominated short subject documentary films detail two of the most important moments in a person’s involvement in the criminal justice system: entry and release. Heroin(e) focuses on jail diversion and treatment opportunities for pe...
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Jackson Beck
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Vedan Anthony-North
Rhode Island Tackles Opioid Addiction Behind Bars; Saves Lives Outside
A new study featured in JAMA Psychiatry found that an innovative program in Rhode Island prisons reduced post-incarceration overdose deaths, highlighting the role that U.S. correctional facilities can play in combating the current opioid crisis. While justice-...
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Susan Shah
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Genia Wright
Addressing Racial Disparities Starts at Home
"Address racial disparities.” Too often, it’s the final bulleted recommendation in a report of findings from an effort to reform the criminal justice system. The recommendation sounds clear, but it is far from simple. And it continues to remain unresolved, be...
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Vera Staff
Key Takeaways from Pod Save The People's First-Ever Live Show
This weekend, inspired by crowd-sourced suggestions of the best criminal justice podcasts from 2017, we attended and live-tweeted the first-ever live show from the popular social justice podcast, Pod Save The People, hosted by DeRay McKesson, Sam Sinyangwe, Cl...
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Hana Le
Expanding Housing Access for Formerly Incarcerated People
Everyone deserves a place to call home. However, for many people leaving our nation’s prisons and jails, the main barrier to successful reentry is access to safe and affordable housing. Formerly incarcerated people often do not have the financial means to rent...
Blog Series
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Dispatches from T.R.U.E. -
Addressing the Overuse of Segregation in U.S. Prisons and Jails -
Beyond Innocence -
Breaking Point: New York's Mental Health Crisis -
Gender and Justice in America -
It Takes a Village -
Justice in Katrina's Wake -
My Brother's Keeper -
Police Perspectives: Building Community Trust -
Unlocking Potential: Perspectives on Education in Prison