Through research, mentorship, and hands-on learning, Vera’s Justice Scholars are exploring the criminal justice system—and discovering their own power to change it.

The U.S. criminal justice system is vast and opaque; imagining new ways of doing things­—and knowing where to start­—can be a daunting task. The Vera Institute of Justice (Vera)’s Justice Scholars program is a paid summer internship for rising high school juniors and seniors interested in the history of policing, prosecution, and corrections. But t ...

The Serious About Safety Majority campaign is building support for proven public safety strategies—and pushing back against a return to failed “tough-on-crime” policies.

Violent crime has plummeted in the United States, but politics threaten progress. Local leaders credit investments in community violence intervention, mental health and drug treatment, and youth engagement programs with helping to bring crime to historic lows.President Donald Trump’s senseless funding cuts to community-based public safety programs ...

As the school year begins, one mother shares practical advice for maintaining strong relationships with children when families are separated by incarceration.

For parents, incarceration ultimately means separation, and we find ourselves wishing we could make up for the countless missed moments with our children. The percentage of school-aged children in the United States who have experienced parental incarceration is 6 percent—about 4.2 million children. These children aren’t asking for a perfect parent; ...