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Event: We've Got the Power A Virtual Event on the Power of District Attorneys in Criminal Justice

District attorneys wield enormous power in the criminal legal system. They have the power to decide the fate of people accused of crimes at every stage of a criminal case. They have tremendous sway over other actors throughout the criminal legal system, including policing practices and enforcement. We, the people, have the power to influence how they operate. On July 15, 2020 the Vera Institute of Justice was joined by Big Freedia, prosecutors, public defenders, advocates, organizers, and others for an interactive virtual event with music, art, and discussion.

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Vera Selects Insha Rahman As Next President and Director

Vice president for Advocacy and Partnerships will become the sixth leader of Vera in its 65-year history.

Insha Rahman will be the next president and director of the Vera Institute of Justice and Vera Action, its sister 501(c)(4) organization. A leading political strategist and criminal justice expert, Rahman has served as Vera’s vice president for Advocacy and Partnerships and the director of Vera Action since 2020. She will make history as the first ...

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March 03, 2026
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A Blueprint for Resistance: How Residents and Local Governments Are Shutting Down ICE Detention in Warehouses

Through zoning ordinances and public pressure, localities fight plans to treat immigrants like packages. Their successes can offer a blueprint for broader resistance.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) acting director Todd Lyons has stated his horrific goal of building a deportation system that treats people like packages; “Like (Amazon) Prime, but with human beings,” he said last year. To advance this dehumanizing vision, the Trump administration aims to acquire more than 20 warehouses to imprison p ...

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March 02, 2026
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Public Defenders Are Underfunded. Justice Pays the Price.

In United States criminal courts, the right to a lawyer for the accused is guaranteed—but without adequate funding for public defenders, that promise falls short.

“You have the right to an attorney.” It’s a familiar line from countless TV procedurals. Miranda rights are derived, in part, from the Sixth Amendment, which guarantees the right to counsel. What’s far less familiar is how fragile the promise of public defenders can be in practice, especially for people who cannot afford their own attorney.People l ...

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February 17, 2026
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