On Thursday, April 20, 2017, justice reform leaders and supporters joined the Vera Institute of Justice for Vera’s 11th Annual Gala, Reimagine Justice.
Honorees discussed approaches to criminal justice reform and the future of the movement in a very different federal climate. Samuel David Flores Murillo, a client of Vera’s recently expanded New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP), gave a moving speech about the need for increased support for immigrant families and communities.
Assessing the Impact of Legal Representation on Family and Community Unity
This study evaluates the impact of the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP). NYIFUP is the nation’s first public defender system for immigrants facing deportation—defined as those in removal proceedings before an immigration judge. Funded by the New York City Council since July 2014, the program provides a free attorney to almost all de ...
Second look laws are gaining momentum as advocates reframe them as a way to right past harms.
Second look laws offer a second chance to revisit long prison sentences that no longer serve public safety and recognize that people can change and evolve during their time in prison. Read on to learn how advocates in four states advanced second look sentencing reform by pairing evidence with values-driven narratives that helped overcome political ...
Holding immigrants in a notorious solitary confinement unit is just part of a broader partnership between ICE and the state to expand mass incarceration.
Detained for 23 hours per day in a dirty prison cell. Held without access to medical care or necessary prescription medications. Locked up, far from home, with limited ability to communicate with lawyers or family members. These are the stories shared by men currently detained at Camp J, a unit that was closed in 2018 due to safety and ...