Vera Institute of Justice

Chris Kaiser-Nyman is a research associate with Vera California. He leverages his expertise in service of community-led movements to reduce incarceration and increase investment in community-based safety and wellness policies and programs. He has developed county-level resources to help drive local conversations about criminal legal system reform and a dashboard tracking the Los Angeles County Jail population and monitoring progress toward closing Men’s Central Jail.

Before starting at Vera in 2020, Chris worked with the ACLUs of Northern and Southern California on a district attorney accountability project and with Berkeley Law’s Policy Advocacy Clinic researching the effects of eliminating electronic monitoring–related fees. Chris’s work is grounded in his early career in direct social service provision, overseeing programs that help people with low to no income apply for public benefits.

Chris has a BA in biological chemistry from Grinnell College and an MPP from the University of California, Berkeley.