Think Justice Blog

The Public Wants Stories about Criminal Justice Reform

70 million adults in the United States have a criminal record. That’s one in every 3.5. Although I’m not among them, these 70 million have become a significant part of my life thanks to our “70 Million” podcast, for which I am the creator and executive p...

On World Population Day, We Should Reflect on Our Need to Reduce the Number of Americans Behind Bars

Today, World Population Day, is an opportunity to reflect on the startling fact that the United States makes up just 4.4 percent of the world’s population but holds 22 percent of the world’s incarcerated population. Individuals who advocate for criminal ju...

Series: Eliminating Money Injustice in New Orleans

Moving to Action on Ending Money Injustice

In this series on money injustice in New Orleans, we’re speaking with experts and advocates on the need to fundamentally rethink the use of money bail and conviction fees—which bear a disproportionate burden on poor communities and communities of color. Vera’s...

Series: Eliminating Money Injustice in New Orleans

How New Orleans Communities Rise Up Against Money Injustice

In this series on money injustice in New Orleans, we’re speaking with experts and advocates on the need to fundamentally rethink the use of money bail and conviction fees—which bear a disproportionate burden on poor communities and communities of color. Vera’s...

Series: Eliminating Money Injustice in New Orleans

Confronting the True Harms of Money Injustice

Last week, we interviewed Alison Shih—co-author of Vera’s recent report Paid in Full—that highlights the landscape of money injustice in New Orleans, and provides a roadmap for how the city could become the first in the nation to eliminate both money bail and ...

Juneteenth Offers an Opportunity to Reflect on Past Injustices—and the Need to Continue Addressing Them Today

Yesterday, many Americans celebrated the holiday known as Juneteenth, which commemorates the emancipation of enslaved Africans and Black Americans on June 19th, 1865, when news of emancipation reached Texas, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Junet...

Growing Momentum to Expand Access to Quality Postsecondary Education for People in Prison

The Vera Institute of Justice has long been and will remain committed to removing all barriers to high-quality postsecondary education in prison because of its transformative benefits, including the power to break the cycle of mass incarceration and poverty.

New York State Must Take Action to Reduce Opioid Overuse Deaths

For many people living with an opioid use disorder, the most dangerous time is the first two weeks after they return home from jail or prison. During that window, people are up to 129 times more likely to die of an opioid overdose than the general population....

Series: Eliminating Money Injustice in New Orleans

New Orleans's Road Map to Eliminate Money Injustice

Yesterday, Vera New Orleans released Paid in Full, a report that draws a roadmap for how New Orleans could become the first city in the nation to completely eliminate the use of money bail and conviction fees. If implemented, this effort to eliminate money inj...

How a Massachusetts County is Transforming Jail for Young Adults

I believe that a successful criminal justice system is one that, among other things, prepares people who are incarcerated for a successful reentry into the community.

This Mental Health Month and Beyond, Collaboration Helps Police Serve Safely

People with mental illnesses and developmental disabilities are more likely to encounter police than get medical help when they’re in crisis. Lapses in communication—an individual in crisis struggling to understand an officer’s command, an officer misinterpret...

Vera’s Policing Program Releases Seventh Volume of “Emerging Issues in American Policing” Quarterly Digest

Emerging Issues in American Policing is a quarterly digest tailored to practitioners and community members interested in policing. It is designed to elevate new and innovative research on policing practices and strategies by providing readers with succinct sum...