The Vera Institute of Justice has issued a statement criticizing the removal of Attorney General Pam Bondi, highlighting the changes under her leadership that affected victim services, youth justice, and more, as well as the funding cuts that affected various programs.
The Vera Institute of Justice has partnered with the Connecticut Department of Correction to participate in Designed for Dignity, a new initiative aimed at transforming prison environments and promoting more humane conditions for both staff and incarcerated people.
New York lawmakers have proposed a $175 million investment in immigration legal defense programs, which immigrant advocacy organizations are praising as a critical step toward protecting immigrant families across the state.
The SHIELD Act has been proposed to provide federal grants to strengthen immigration legal defense programs and ensure immigrants have access to legal representation.
Advocates for due process have criticized the President’s State of the Union address for using “anti-immigrant fearmongering and misleading claims” to justify policies that undermine constitutional rights, and are calling on Congress to reject additional funding for the Department of Homeland Security and instead invest in proven solutions like legal representation to uphold due process for all.
The Vera Institute of Justice released a new platform to counter crime fearmongering, rebuild trust with voters, and deliver safety, while highlighting the importance of investing in schools, jobs, housing, and treatment, and ending the overdose crisis.
A coalition of immigrant advocates is urging New York lawmakers to pass the Access to Representation Act and the Building Up Immigrant Legal Defense Act, and to increase state funding for immigration legal services, in order to provide legal counsel to immigrants facing deportation and to protect due process.
Proposition 36 has failed to deliver on its promises of safety, accountability, and mass treatment, instead fueling incarceration, straining local budgets, and deepening racial disparities across California, according to the Prosecutors Alliance and criminal justice reform advocates.
The Trump administration is inflicting unprecedented violence and cruelty on immigrants, with ICE officers making violent courthouse arrests and detaining people with valid legal status for weeks, while legal service providers struggle to protect their clients in an arena with nearly no rules.
Parole systems in the US are broken and need to be fixed to ensure that people who have demonstrated rehabilitation are given a fair chance to be released, as parole can be an important tool for decarceration and reducing prison overcrowding.
A new poll commissioned by Vera Action and conducted by YouGov suggests that a plurality of registered voters view President Donald Trump’s recent National Guard deployments as politically motivated rather than grounded in public safety concerns, and that a majority of voters believe Trump’s federal actions on crime are unrelated to community safety.
Survivors of crime and criminal justice reform advocates are pushing for restorative justice and second chances, highlighting the need for updated sentencing laws that reflect the realities of survivors’ experiences and build public safety through healing and change, rather than punishment alone.
Restorative justice programs and other alternatives to incarceration can help prevent harm and promote healing, while keeping communities safe and reducing mass incarceration.
The New York State DOCCS has limited family visits for incarcerated people, causing stress and disruption to their lives and the lives of their families, and exacerbating the mental health crisis in prisons.
23 incarcerated women at the California Institution for Women received bachelor’s degrees through Cal State LA’s Prison Graduation Initiative, marking the first women’s cohort to graduate from the state’s only in-person prison bachelor’s degree program.
The Restoring Promise initiative, a partnership between the South Carolina Department of Corrections and Vera, has created housing units in South Carolina prisons that foster dignity, accountability, and healing, resulting in a 73% decrease in violent infractions and an 83% decrease in stays in solitary confinement.
The federal government should not use the National Guard to enforce law and order, as it is ineffective, potentially illegal, and risks undermining community trust and civil liberties, and instead should focus on evidence-based, tailored approaches to public safety.
Yolo County prosecutors are opposing California’s compassionate release law, which provides a humane safeguard for terminally ill or permanently incapacitated people, while advocates argue that it is necessary to protect public health and dignity.
People with a history of criminal legal system involvement face significant barriers to employment, but policies and practices can be implemented to reduce these barriers and open job opportunities to help break the cycle of incarceration.
President Trump’s executive orders targeting cashless bail have been met with strong condemnation from reform advocates, who argue that the policy is based on misinformation and fearmongering, and will lead to a return to wealth-based incarceration.