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Projects
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Reimagining Prison

Shifting the culture of incarceration from retribution to rehabilitation

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Step-down Programs and Transitional Units

A Strategy to End Long-term Restrictive Housing

The practice of restrictive housing—where a person is held in a cell for 22 to 24 hours per day with minimal activity or human interaction—has come under increased scrutiny from researchers, advocates, policymakers, the media, and corrections agencies themselves. Recognizing this, corrections departments around the country have begun exploring ways ...

Publication
  • Elena Vanko
June 27, 2019
Publication

Restoring Promise

An initiative creating housing units grounded in dignity for young adults in prison

Spotlight
May 15, 2019
Spotlight

Human Dignity and Prison Design

Architecture and design has a role to play in creating a reimagined prison: a place that heals, invests in human dignity, and restores communities. This video was created by architectural firm Mass Design Group for Vera's Reimagining Prison project.

Video
May 14, 2019
Video

Embracing Human Dignity

Annual Report 2018

Special Report
December 20, 2018
Special Report

Embracing Human Dignity

Annual Report 2018

The Vera Institute of Justice is working to radically transform incarceration in America by replacing punishing practices with an approach that prioritizes compassion, true accountability, healing, restoration, opportunity, and hope. Learn more about our commitment to human dignity in our annual report 2018.

Publication
December 14, 2018
Publication

Nick Turner Interview: Pod Save the People

Vera president with Deray McKesson of Pod Save the People

Reflecting upon lessons learned from a study tour of prison systems abroad, Vera President Nicholas Turner and Deray McKesson of Pod Save the People discuss the possibilities and realities of transforming America's prison system.

Audio
December 11, 2018
Audio

Reimagining Prison Event

On October 10, 2018, the Vera Institute of Justice and staff and residents of the T.R.U.E. unit at Cheshire Correctional Institution in Connecticut convened to Reimagine Prison in the United States. The event, and coinciding report release, culminated the work of Vera’s Reimagining Prison project, launched in June 2016 at historic Eastern State Pe ...

Video Playlist
October 31, 2018
Video Playlist

Reimagining Prison

Special Report
  • Ruth Delaney, Ram Subramanian, Alison Shames, Nicholas Turner
October 10, 2018
Special Report

Reimagining Prison Report

Prison in America causes individual, community, and generational pain and deprivation. Built on a system of racist policies and practices that has disproportionately impacted people of color, mass incarceration has decimated communities and families. But the harsh conditions within prisons neither ensure safety behind the walls nor prevent crime an ...

Publication
  • Ruth Delaney, Ram Subramanian, Alison Shames, Nicholas Turner
October 10, 2018
Publication

Reimagining Prison Webumentary

Special Report
October 10, 2018
Special Report

Reimagining Prison Web Report

Special Report
  • Ruth Delaney, Ram Subramanian, Alison Shames, Nicholas Turner
October 09, 2018
Special Report

Why Temperatures in Prisons and Jails Matter

In serious cases, overheating can lead to death. In 2011, ten people incarcerated in Texas prisons died from heat-related causes—setting off a series of lawsuits that ended with the state agreeing to place permanent air conditioning amenities inside units. In the last week of July 2018, as temperatures in the South reached over 100 degrees, nearly ...

Blog Post
  • Kellie Chudzinski
    Kellie Chudzinski
August 10, 2018
Blog Post
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In the News

Now that we can empathize with victims of solitary confinement, let’s work to end it

Spokane FAVS June 17, 2020

How to Fix Our Prisons? Let the Public Inside

The New York Times December 17, 2019

Criminal Justice Reform Starts With the Prosecutor

The Hill August 10, 2017

New Project Aims to Reimagine the U.S. Prison System

The Takeaway August 07, 2017

North Dakota’s Norway Experiment

Mother Jones July 26, 2017

Chicago Ideas Asks Panel, Audience to ‘Reimagine Prison’

WTTV February 28, 2017

Alec Baldwin Joins Chicago Ideas' Curiosity Series Lineup

Time Out January 26, 2017

Let’s Go to Prison!

The Marshall Project December 14, 2016

The Best Way to Close Jails Is to Make Them Visible

VICE December 09, 2016

Public tours Fremont Correctional Facility as part of transparency initiative

Canon City Daily Record November 21, 2016

A Peek Behind Bars, and an Invitation to Reimagine Prison

The Connecticut Mirror November 21, 2016

National Initiative Gives New Meaning to Jail Time in Michigan

Fox 17 (Michigan) November 15, 2016

17 States Open Up Prisons and Jails to Local Communities—and National Leaders—to Foster Transparency as Part of National Prison Visiting Week

Vera Press Release November 11, 2016

Building a Different U.S. Prison System

Next City June 22, 2016
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