We’re fighting to secure equal justice for all, end mass incarceration, and strengthen families + communities.
NYC/DC/LA/NOLA
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Nearly four decades after the infamous attack ad aired, the name "Willie Horton" is again being invoked to stoke fear around violent crime. themarshallproject.org/2026/…
But reform isn’t going anywhere: just this year, Vera identified 425 criminal justice reform and immigration laws enacted across 45 states and Washington, D.C.
The reason for this trend is twofold: these reform policies are effective AND supported by the public.
Instead of going "tough on crime," lawmakers should point to evidence-based solutions working to reduce crime and make communities safe, like housing, mental health & addiction treatment, and youth programs.
More in our recent profile in @MotherJones: motherjones.com/politics/202…
“[Malcolm] Gladwell’s call for more police reflects either the lazy, conventional political wisdom of years gone by or ignorance of the growing evidence about what makes communities safer.”
Violence is a scourge. Rather than simply hiring more police, cities must prioritize community-based crime prevention programs and effective, accountable policing practices.
Vera’s president and director, Insha Rahman, responds to Gladwell’s new book in the @latimes: latimes.com/opinion/letters-…
People seeking asylum should be able to access justice through fair, transparent hearings, free from secret docket changes, courthouse arrests, or lack of legal representation.
But that is not happening right now. New data from @Princeton reveals how immigration courts are being systematically utilized to erode due process: inkstickmedia.com/new-data-r…
Vera Institute of Justice retweeted
Dolores Huerta was a colossal figure in the fight for immigrant and workers' rights. Her tireless spirit will be felt in the hearts of those who struggle for justice and fight for their communities for generations to come. Rest in peace.
Understanding IIRIRA and AEDPA and how these laws created today’s punitive immigration system is essential to changing course and prioritizing human dignity and due process over chaos, humiliation, and punishment.
Learn more: vera.org/news-spotlights/the…
Building safer communities takes all of us.
On November 17, Vera and @JohnJayFPS are hosting a summit in NYC to bring together leaders who are working across the country to reimagine community safety. Register to attend #AllInForSafety: verajohnjay.regfox.com/all-i…
8592 children arrested by ICE, 8755 in immigration detention, including 562 babies and toddlers.
Behind every data point is a child—one who is often isolated and suffering—caught in the machinery of mass deportation.
This is a human rights and due process crisis. Read the full investigation by @MarshallProj to better understand the full scale of detention:
themarshallproject.org/2026/…
Immigrants are the foundation of our country and make the U.S. stronger—showing up for work every day and enriching our culture and history.
@npnewamericans
National Immigrants Day commemorates the unveiling of the Statue of Liberty. The following phrase is inscribed on this enduring symbol of hope:
“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.”
People often use "jail" and "prison" as synonyms. And while both make it impossible to stay connected to loved ones and hold people in cruel and abusive conditions, jails and prisons serve different purposes in the criminal justice system.
vera.org/news/u-s-jails-and-…
@MotherJones recently published a profile of the Vera Institute’s work (and of Vera Action, the independent c4) to challenge harmful “tough-on-crime" politics and champion an approach that centers safety, accountability, and justice.
motherjones.com/politics/202…
The winning strategy is not to focus on fear, but on evidence-based solutions that make communities safer.