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It Doesn't Have to Be This Way Vera @ Chicago Ideas - Part II

The Vera Institute of Justice teamed up with Chicago Ideas to reenvision the American prison system, and imagine a society in which prisons serve as rehabilitation facilities for communities and citizens, rather than as crippling institutions. The conversation combined performance, first-person testimony, and compelling dialogue that all looked into not only how the American prison system can cause “civil death,” but also what everyday citizens can do to help reshape the way in which incarceration affects the country.

Part Two: It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way—A moderated, multi-disciplinary conversation that looked into the power and potential of reimagining our prison system to emphasize human dignity over punishment.

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CORCA Looks Stalled in Congress amid Growing Surveillance Concerns

As CORCA’s prospects in Congress grow uncertain, concerns are mounting about the bill’s potential to expand federal surveillance powers.

A few months ago, the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act (CORCA) looked to have nearly unstoppable political momentum in Congress. Propelled by a media narrative of out-of-control retail theft—a narrative that appears massively overblown—proponents promised CORCA would “protect American businesses, safeguard our frontline workers, and ultimately, ...

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October 20, 2026
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