Video

Learning How to Ask for Help

The Choice is Yours (TCY) is a felony diversion program in Philadelphia that channels young people arrested for drug possession with intent to distribute away from jail and into education and job training services. Alberta LLoyd, TCY career training and life skills instructor, and Marta Buechler, TCY case manager, discuss some of the numerous life challenges faced by TCY participants.

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Pretrial Release and Bail-Setting Practices in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania

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Pretrial decisions shape the trajectory of criminal cases and profoundly affect the lives of the approximately half a million people detained in county jails on any given day, most of whom are legally innocent. Even short periods of pretrial detention can cause long-term harm, including job loss, housing instability, and increased likelihood of con ...

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April 10, 2026
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Paying for Prison: How Incarceration Reinforces Poverty

Incarcerated people and their families are exploited in an unjust system.

Mass incarceration has devastated communities around the country, exacerbating poverty, inhibiting economic mobility, and causing local economies to stagnate. Vera’s new Incarceration and Inequality Project (IIP) Data Explorer is an interactive tool that gives advocates and policymakers ready access to data on the connection between incarceration a ...

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April 03, 2026
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