Vera Institute of Justice

Jackson Beck is a senior program associate with Vera’s Redefining Public Safety initiative. In his role, Jackson works to improve public safety system responses for people with mental health and substance use conditions and other unmet needs, with a focus on expanding access to specially trained civilian responders as an alternative to police. He provides technical assistance to support the development of civilian response efforts nationwide, partnering with local practitioners and advocates to drive community- and data-informed change. Jackson was named Researcher of the Year by CIT International in 2022 for his examination of promising practices implemented by existing civilian crisis responder programs.

Before joining Vera, Jackson assisted the communications team at Families Against Mandatory Minimums in Washington, DC. He also supported advocacy to expand resources for people in substance use recovery with United Strategies in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Jackson holds a BA in political science from Yale University.