California

Vera works with government and community partners across the country to advance research, analyze policy, pilot programs, and implement solutions on the ground. Working on nearly 60 projects in 40 states, Vera is committed to developing solutions to the most pressing injustices of our day. This page encompasses all of Vera’s work in California, and any related news coverage.

Related Work

With 26 Deaths in 2024, LA Jails Continue Deadly Trend

Seventy-one people have died in LA County jails since the start of 2023.

How are people dying? Los Angeles County has not yet publicly issued causes of death for everyone who has died in county jails in recent months. However, even once autopsy reports are finalized, they don’t tell the whole story: when the coroner rules that a death is the result of “natural causes,” jail conditions can still be to blame. Researchers ...

News
  • Sam McCann
    Sam McCann
October 31, 2024
News

“The County Jail Has Always Been a Murder Ground”: Stories from Men’s Central Jail

For decades, people incarcerated in Los Angeles County’s deadliest jail have feared for their lives. With the death toll mounting, advocates are pushing to finally end the cycle of violence.

Nelson is currently working toward that goal at DPN, connecting with families impacted by MCJ and the terror of the sheriff’s deputies. “You’ve got so many families out here thinking that they had to fight up against this sheriff’s department by themselves. They feel powerless. So, we connect with family members,” Nelson said. Slowly, they are win ...

News
  • Sam McCann
    Sam McCann
March 27, 2024
News

Investing in Supportive Pretrial Services: How to Build a “Care First” Workforce in Los Angeles County

In March 2020, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors adopted the “care first, jails last” vision, a transformative framework for safety grounded in support and services as alternatives to incarceration or bail. Three years have passed and people of color, people experiencing homelessness, and those with unmet mental health needs continue to l ...

Publication
  • Sheena Liberator, Maria Jose (MJ) Vides
June 05, 2023
Publication

From Corrections to College in California

An Evaluation of Student Support During and After Incarceration

California is a national leader in providing higher education to justice-involved people. A key driver of this movement has been the Renewing Communities initiative, a joint project of the Opportunity Institute and the Stanford Criminal Justice Center that sought to expand access to higher education among justice-involved people in California, both ...

Publication
  • Lionel Smith, Léon Digard
June 10, 2020
Publication

A Piece of the Puzzle

State Financial Aid for Incarcerated Students

Postsecondary education in prison puts people on a path toward a brighter future by disrupting the cycle of poverty and incarceration. But it has not been offered at scale due to the numerous barriers—including the 1994 ban on Pell Grants to people in prison—that prevent students and postsecondary institutions from accessing state and federal fundi ...

Publication
  • Lauren Hobby, Brian Walsh, Ruth Delaney, Kayla James, Juan Martinez-Hill
July 11, 2019
Publication