Vera Institute of Justice
@vera.org
We’re fighting to secure equal justice for all, end mass incarceration, and strengthen families + communities
Americans don't want the same old "tough on crime" politics. They want their leaders to offer solutions that deliver real safety.
Vera's new platform outlines a roadmap to deliver safety, accountability, and justice for all: www.vera.org/publications...
Vera's new platform outlines a roadmap to deliver safety, accountability, and justice for all: www.vera.org/publications...
A New Federal Paradigm for Safety, Accountability, and Justice
As Congress weighs the path forward on public safety, lawmakers have a clear opportunity to define a proactive agenda to deliver safety, accountability,…
www.vera.org
February 12, 2026 at 4:50 PM
Americans don't want the same old "tough on crime" politics. They want their leaders to offer solutions that deliver real safety.
Vera's new platform outlines a roadmap to deliver safety, accountability, and justice for all: www.vera.org/publications...
Vera's new platform outlines a roadmap to deliver safety, accountability, and justice for all: www.vera.org/publications...
More than 50 years after its construction and eight years after prison officials closed it over safety concerns, Camp J—a unit in the notorious Louisiana State penitentiary—reopened in 2025 becoming a new frontier for immigration detention, harm, cruelty, and neglect.
February 11, 2026 at 6:38 PM
More than 50 years after its construction and eight years after prison officials closed it over safety concerns, Camp J—a unit in the notorious Louisiana State penitentiary—reopened in 2025 becoming a new frontier for immigration detention, harm, cruelty, and neglect.
The Trump administration is inflicting unprecedented violence on immigrants, alarming legal service providers who are working to protect clients’ rights and defend due process in an increasingly dehumanizing immigration system. #Immigration #ImmigrantsRights
February 10, 2026 at 7:06 PM
The Trump administration is inflicting unprecedented violence on immigrants, alarming legal service providers who are working to protect clients’ rights and defend due process in an increasingly dehumanizing immigration system. #Immigration #ImmigrantsRights
Using a funding deadline for leverage, last week Democratic leadership revealed their list of ten demands for holding ICE accountable. Notably missing: talk of cutting funding—the most obvious way to rein in ICE.
Here's what you need to know:
Here's what you need to know:
Democrats’ Demands for ICE Accountability Could Be Effective—If They…
Vera works closely with government and civic leaders to urgently build and improve justice systems that ensure fairness, promote safety, and strengthen…
www.vera.org
February 9, 2026 at 9:45 PM
Using a funding deadline for leverage, last week Democratic leadership revealed their list of ten demands for holding ICE accountable. Notably missing: talk of cutting funding—the most obvious way to rein in ICE.
Here's what you need to know:
Here's what you need to know:
In turbulent times, we look to those who refused to accept injustice as inevitable. These Black leaders took on the fight against mass incarceration—inspiring ongoing efforts to ensure racial equality and justice for all: www.vera.org/news/5-black...
#EndMassIncarceration
#EndMassIncarceration
5 Black Heroes Who Took on the Fight Against Mass Incarceration
Photo credits: W Haywood Burns image: National Lawyers Guild, Jane Bolin: Library of Congress, Bruce M Wright: African American Registry, Eddie Ellis:…
www.vera.org
February 9, 2026 at 5:18 PM
In turbulent times, we look to those who refused to accept injustice as inevitable. These Black leaders took on the fight against mass incarceration—inspiring ongoing efforts to ensure racial equality and justice for all: www.vera.org/news/5-black...
#EndMassIncarceration
#EndMassIncarceration
Crime was down in 2025—but the latest claims that Trump “made it happen” don’t match the evidence. Here’s what the data actually shows:
February 6, 2026 at 9:59 PM
Crime was down in 2025—but the latest claims that Trump “made it happen” don’t match the evidence. Here’s what the data actually shows:
The Trump administration is systematically dismantling due process and inflicting undeniable harm on immigrants. As federal immigration enforcement continues down this path, essential industries, the economy, and the U.S. are destabilizing.
What America Might Look Like With Zero Immigration
www.nytimes.com
February 6, 2026 at 3:48 PM
The Trump administration is systematically dismantling due process and inflicting undeniable harm on immigrants. As federal immigration enforcement continues down this path, essential industries, the economy, and the U.S. are destabilizing.
Public safety should work like education, transit, or housing: reliable, community-based, not one-size-fits-all. Vera’s new resource explains how Public Safety Anchor Institutions (PSAIs) put that principle into practice: www.vera.org/publications...
Public Safety Anchor Institutions Explained
How They Work and Why They’re Important
www.vera.org
February 5, 2026 at 8:27 PM
Public safety should work like education, transit, or housing: reliable, community-based, not one-size-fits-all. Vera’s new resource explains how Public Safety Anchor Institutions (PSAIs) put that principle into practice: www.vera.org/publications...
Creating a Department of Community Safety was a central piece of New York City Mayor Mamdani's platform. So what does it take to launch one?
This new guide explains how the Mamdani administration can create a DCS—with an evidence-based, public health roadmap for community safety:
This new guide explains how the Mamdani administration can create a DCS—with an evidence-based, public health roadmap for community safety:
Department of Community Safety: An Implementation Guide for Mayor…
A central piece of Mayor Mamdani’s platform was the creation of a Department of Community Safety (DCS) to deliver the evidence-based public health…
www.vera.org
February 5, 2026 at 8:10 PM
Creating a Department of Community Safety was a central piece of New York City Mayor Mamdani's platform. So what does it take to launch one?
This new guide explains how the Mamdani administration can create a DCS—with an evidence-based, public health roadmap for community safety:
This new guide explains how the Mamdani administration can create a DCS—with an evidence-based, public health roadmap for community safety:
Almost 450,000 people return from prison every year.
The impact of Pell restoration—which took effect in July 2023—is substantial: filling employment gaps, putting families on new economic trajectories, and ending the cycle of incarceration.
The impact of Pell restoration—which took effect in July 2023—is substantial: filling employment gaps, putting families on new economic trajectories, and ending the cycle of incarceration.
February 4, 2026 at 10:28 PM
Almost 450,000 people return from prison every year.
The impact of Pell restoration—which took effect in July 2023—is substantial: filling employment gaps, putting families on new economic trajectories, and ending the cycle of incarceration.
The impact of Pell restoration—which took effect in July 2023—is substantial: filling employment gaps, putting families on new economic trajectories, and ending the cycle of incarceration.
The vast majority of people incarcerated in U.S. prisons will eventually return home.
A new bill proposed in New York would create a pilot program to improve reentry support—helping more people get a fair chance to rebuild their lives after incarceration.
A new bill proposed in New York would create a pilot program to improve reentry support—helping more people get a fair chance to rebuild their lives after incarceration.
Queens pol introduces bill to expand reentry services for state prisoners — Queens Daily Eagle
A bill introduced by a Queens assemblymember that would create a reentry program for New York’s prisoners to prepare them for their eventual release began making its way through the state legislature ...
queenseagle.com
February 4, 2026 at 8:02 PM
The vast majority of people incarcerated in U.S. prisons will eventually return home.
A new bill proposed in New York would create a pilot program to improve reentry support—helping more people get a fair chance to rebuild their lives after incarceration.
A new bill proposed in New York would create a pilot program to improve reentry support—helping more people get a fair chance to rebuild their lives after incarceration.
The Trump administration's cruel mass detention and deportation agenda is devastating many immigrant New Yorkers. It is critical NY leaders meet the full-scale of the moment and take bold action by passing the New York for All and Access to Representation Acts.
February 4, 2026 at 4:51 PM
The Trump administration's cruel mass detention and deportation agenda is devastating many immigrant New Yorkers. It is critical NY leaders meet the full-scale of the moment and take bold action by passing the New York for All and Access to Representation Acts.
➡️ $175 million in funding for immigration legal services
➡️ The passage of the Access to Representation Act and the Building Up Immigrant Legal Defense Act
Together, these actions are the humane solutions needed to protect immigrant New Yorkers from Trump’s cruel detention and deportation agenda.
➡️ The passage of the Access to Representation Act and the Building Up Immigrant Legal Defense Act
Together, these actions are the humane solutions needed to protect immigrant New Yorkers from Trump’s cruel detention and deportation agenda.
February 3, 2026 at 10:04 PM
➡️ $175 million in funding for immigration legal services
➡️ The passage of the Access to Representation Act and the Building Up Immigrant Legal Defense Act
Together, these actions are the humane solutions needed to protect immigrant New Yorkers from Trump’s cruel detention and deportation agenda.
➡️ The passage of the Access to Representation Act and the Building Up Immigrant Legal Defense Act
Together, these actions are the humane solutions needed to protect immigrant New Yorkers from Trump’s cruel detention and deportation agenda.
In the words of Vera’s Claudia Gonzalez, “Punishment is not prevention, and prison is not a path forward.” Diversion programs provide a non-punitive alternative to incarceration and addresses trauma, promotes healing, and helps break the cycle of incarceration.
www.marinij.com/2026/01/28/o...
www.marinij.com/2026/01/28/o...
California Voice: Diversion a lifeline for those in school-to-prison pipeline
A proposed state law offers non-violent offenders the chance to change ‘their lives, support their families and pay restitution to those they’ve harmed.’
www.marinij.com
February 3, 2026 at 6:50 PM
In the words of Vera’s Claudia Gonzalez, “Punishment is not prevention, and prison is not a path forward.” Diversion programs provide a non-punitive alternative to incarceration and addresses trauma, promotes healing, and helps break the cycle of incarceration.
www.marinij.com/2026/01/28/o...
www.marinij.com/2026/01/28/o...
Louisiana State Penitentiary, commonly known as Angola, is adding a grim chapter to its dark and abusive history: immigration detention. State-sanctioned cruelty is happening before our eyes.
www.vera.org/news/reopeni...
www.vera.org/news/reopeni...
Reopening the Plantation: Immigration Detention in Louisiana’s Angola…
Holding immigrants in a notorious solitary confinement unit is just part of a broader partnership between ICE and the state to expand mass incarceration.
www.vera.org
February 3, 2026 at 4:04 PM
Louisiana State Penitentiary, commonly known as Angola, is adding a grim chapter to its dark and abusive history: immigration detention. State-sanctioned cruelty is happening before our eyes.
www.vera.org/news/reopeni...
www.vera.org/news/reopeni...
Expanding immigration detention, expediting deportations, punishing people following the law, undermining judicial independence: the Trump administration has exploited every avenue to weaponize the immigration system and dismantle due process.
www.vera.org/explainers/w...
www.vera.org/explainers/w...
Weaponizing the System: One Year of Trump’s Attacks on Due Process
From the early days of his administration, Trump has launched a widespread crackdown on immigrants, enacting a series of policies that have vastly…
www.vera.org
February 2, 2026 at 2:45 PM
Expanding immigration detention, expediting deportations, punishing people following the law, undermining judicial independence: the Trump administration has exploited every avenue to weaponize the immigration system and dismantle due process.
www.vera.org/explainers/w...
www.vera.org/explainers/w...
“Diversion programs are proven methods of accountability that allow participants to avoid the harms of incarceration. I like to think of them as an off-ramp for people before many of the consequences of the criminal legal system come into force.”—Vera’s Meghan Nayak
January 30, 2026 at 9:36 PM
“Diversion programs are proven methods of accountability that allow participants to avoid the harms of incarceration. I like to think of them as an off-ramp for people before many of the consequences of the criminal legal system come into force.”—Vera’s Meghan Nayak
#BreakingNews: New York Governor Kathy Hochul just introduced a proposal that addresses protections for immigrants, acknowledging the grave harm of local law enforcement colluding with ICE. The #NY4All Coalition issued the following statement: www.bronxdefenders.org/new-york-for...
New York for All Coalition Responds to Governor Hochul’s Proposed Bill Addressing Protections for Immigrants and Calls for Passage of the New York for All Act - The Bronx Defenders
Today, Governor Hochul introduced a proposal acknowledging the grave harm of New York local law enforcement colluding with ICE. In response, the New York for All Coalition, comprised of directly impac...
www.bronxdefenders.org
January 30, 2026 at 8:14 PM
#BreakingNews: New York Governor Kathy Hochul just introduced a proposal that addresses protections for immigrants, acknowledging the grave harm of local law enforcement colluding with ICE. The #NY4All Coalition issued the following statement: www.bronxdefenders.org/new-york-for...
Securing stable employment is a critical factor in reducing recidivism among formerly incarcerated people.
Vera's new report explores how vocational training programs in New York State prisons can be improved to better prepare people for well-paying jobs:
Vera's new report explores how vocational training programs in New York State prisons can be improved to better prepare people for well-paying jobs:
From Prisons to Jobs
Securing stable employment is a critical factor in reducing recidivism among formerly incarcerated people. Every year, around 10,000 people are released…
www.vera.org
January 30, 2026 at 6:39 PM
Securing stable employment is a critical factor in reducing recidivism among formerly incarcerated people.
Vera's new report explores how vocational training programs in New York State prisons can be improved to better prepare people for well-paying jobs:
Vera's new report explores how vocational training programs in New York State prisons can be improved to better prepare people for well-paying jobs:
A year into Trump’s second term, his administration has made it nearly impossible for immigrants to access due process. As Amica Center for Immigrant Rights' Hayley R. Hutchins puts it, now more than ever, universal representation is “necessary to ensure accountability and fairness.”
January 29, 2026 at 11:55 PM
A year into Trump’s second term, his administration has made it nearly impossible for immigrants to access due process. As Amica Center for Immigrant Rights' Hayley R. Hutchins puts it, now more than ever, universal representation is “necessary to ensure accountability and fairness.”
Last week, the House of Representatives passed a federal spending bill that funnels more resources to the Department of Homeland Security to further expand its violent detention and deportation agenda.
January 29, 2026 at 4:11 PM
Last week, the House of Representatives passed a federal spending bill that funnels more resources to the Department of Homeland Security to further expand its violent detention and deportation agenda.
Reposted by Vera Institute of Justice
Full #NY4All campaign statement here: www.immigrantdefenseproject.org/farmers-farm...
January 28, 2026 at 11:19 PM
Full #NY4All campaign statement here: www.immigrantdefenseproject.org/farmers-farm...
Minneapolis has become the epicenter of a familiar pattern: federal force, disputed narratives, and public trust collapsing in real time.
ICE's deadly violence makes all of us less safe. Enough is enough.
ICE's deadly violence makes all of us less safe. Enough is enough.
The ICE Killing of Renee Nicole Good is a Watershed Moment for Trump
The latest tragedy in ICE’s long history of violence is speeding up crises already in motion.
www.vera.org
January 28, 2026 at 7:10 PM
Minneapolis has become the epicenter of a familiar pattern: federal force, disputed narratives, and public trust collapsing in real time.
ICE's deadly violence makes all of us less safe. Enough is enough.
ICE's deadly violence makes all of us less safe. Enough is enough.
Ending mandatory immigration detention, shrinking ICE’s budget, and permanently closing detention facilities will help us end mass incarceration once and for all.
Get the facts and learn more: www.vera.org/ending-mass-...
Get the facts and learn more: www.vera.org/ending-mass-...
January 27, 2026 at 10:26 PM
Ending mandatory immigration detention, shrinking ICE’s budget, and permanently closing detention facilities will help us end mass incarceration once and for all.
Get the facts and learn more: www.vera.org/ending-mass-...
Get the facts and learn more: www.vera.org/ending-mass-...
The chief federal judge in Minnesota ruled that the Trump administration failed to comply with court orders and ordered ICE acting director Todd Lyons to appear in court over repeated failures to provide bond hearings for detained immigrants.
apnews.com/article/immi...
apnews.com/article/immi...
Judge orders ICE chief to appear in court to explain why detainees have been denied due process
The chief federal judge in Minnesota says the Trump administration has failed to comply with orders to hold hearings for detained immigrants.
apnews.com
January 27, 2026 at 5:26 PM
The chief federal judge in Minnesota ruled that the Trump administration failed to comply with court orders and ordered ICE acting director Todd Lyons to appear in court over repeated failures to provide bond hearings for detained immigrants.
apnews.com/article/immi...
apnews.com/article/immi...