The proposed One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which would bypass a filibuster, could lead to cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, and Pell Grants, increase spending on immigration detention, and limit the regulation of AI, all of which would likely negatively impact public safety.
AB 690, a bill aimed at ending the use of privatized flat-fee contracts for indigent defense services in California, has passed the Senate Public Safety Committee and now heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee, with supporters arguing that it would improve justice outcomes and save counties money over time.
Crime rates have declined in 2024, with violent crime returning to pre-pandemic levels, and Trump is finally acknowledging the trend, but it’s important to recognize that the decline was driven by government investment in evidence-based strategies and not by Trump’s policies.
Mass incarceration is a public health crisis that harms the health and well-being of incarcerated people, corrections staff, families, and communities, and is disproportionately detrimental to Black people, with the impact of immigration detention only exacerbating the problem.
ICE’s mass deportation agenda threatens to dramatically escalate the use of detention, which is plagued by abuse and neglect, and the Trump administration’s detention and deportation agenda diverts billions from investments that foster real public safety.
A coalition of prosecutors, local governments, and grassroots organizations are challenging the U.S. Department of Justice’s decision to terminate over $820 million in public safety and violence prevention funding, warning that it will have devastating impacts on community-based organizations and public safety strategy.
The California State Assembly passed Assembly Bill 1231, which would allow judges to offer pretrial diversion for people charged with certain nonviolent felonies, providing them with rehabilitative services and reducing recidivism.
Despite passing significant criminal justice legislation in his first term, Trump’s second administration has seen a shift towards a more “tough-on-crime” approach, with cuts to funding and programs aimed at reducing crime, undermining police accountability, and targeting “blue” cities.
The U.S. government is using tattoos and clothing to determine who gets to stay in the country and who is subject to indefinite imprisonment in a Salvadoran prison, with many of the men deported being innocent migrants who followed all necessary procedures when seeking asylum.
The Trump administration has issued an executive order titled “Strengthening and Unleashing America’s Law Enforcement to Pursue Criminals and Protect Innocent Citizens,” which critics argue promotes aggressive policing while rolling back critical civil rights protections and oversight mechanisms.
NEW YORK, NY – The Vera Institute of Justice (VERA), a 64-year-old national justice reform organization, said…
The targeting of Khalil, Rumeysa Ozturk, and others reveals the administration’s aim to detain and deport any…
NEW YORK, NY – The New York City Bar Association and the Vera Institute of Justice have…
The U.S. Constitution is supposed to protect people from egregious punishment—but that right is often violated. At…
There are better ways than incarceration to make young people in need feel safe. Too often, young…
A staffing crisis has created dangerous conditions in prisons. To create safety, reduce the number of people…
Undemocratic bans keep millions of people from exercising their right to vote, but some states are finally…
Before hurricanes Helene and Milton, officials failed to evacuate people in jails and prisons—yet most states rely…
If this notorious policy initiative is implemented, millions would be denied access to an attorney in immigration…
By Vera Institute of Justice Disclaimer: Opinions are those of the writer and do not reflect those…