Vera Institute of Justice
@vera
We’re fighting to secure equal justice for all, end mass incarceration, and strengthen families + communities
Closing Rikers Island is an important step toward delivering the effective, just public safety system that New Yorkers deserve. Let's get it done.
Fearmongering politicians want you to believe that the only way to prevent crime is to get "tough." But too often that means more prisons and harsher punishments. But investment, not just enforcement, is what keeps communities safe and helps them thrive. Listen to @repsummerlee.bsky.social.
Immigrant families need a last line of defense: lawyers. The #FairnessToFreedomAct would guarantee a lawyer for every person facing deportation—including those detained in overcrowded and inhumane detention centers. #UniversalRepresentation #DefendDueProcess @npnewamericans.bsky.social
In the face of Trump’s mass deportation agenda, immigrant families need a last line of defense: lawyers. Our elected officials must: ➡️ Fight for family unity & due process ➡️ Invest in legal defense for people facing deportation ➡️ Pass the #FairnessToFreedomAct!
The answer to the Trump administration’s attacks on due process is clear: access to a lawyer. The #FairnessToFreedomAct would guarantee that right, providing a crucial defense for our communities and keeping families together.
@schiff.senate.gov just reintroduced the Fairness to Freedom Act, legislation that would establish a right to legal representation for anyone facing deportation and serve as a crucial protection for our communities against Trump’s supercharged deportation machine.
60+ years ago, people facing criminal charges won the right to an attorney in Gideon v. Wainwright—but among those excluded were immigrants facing deportation. The need has always been clear: ALL PEOPLE should be guaranteed an attorney if they can’t afford one.
When governments deny due process, people can be unjustly detained or deported without a fair chance to defend themselves. That’s not democracy—and it puts all of our rights at risk. #DefendDueProcess @npnewamericans.bsky.social
New York City took a real step forward this spring by creating an Office of Community Safety to coordinate crisis response, violence prevention, and survivor support. Here's how NYC can build on that momentum—and what a full department could mean for the city.
Newark's violent crime fell 19% in 2025—with homicides at a historic low. Mayor @rasjbaraka says the reason wasn't more policing. It was investment: "quality schools, opportunity, housing, cleanliness, and recreation for young folks."
At the same time, this overwhelming burden stretches the legal service providers—dedicated to protecting due process and their rights—too thin.
Every day within the Trump administration’s hostile deportation machine, many immigrants must navigate complex court proceedings alone.
If you only listen to the political debate, you might believe that voters want their leaders to be "tough on crime." But it’s not true. Voters know that more incarceration and more policing don’t make us safer. Investments that strengthen communities and improve lives, do.
Last month, Vera board member and @newyorkgiants.bsky.social legend Justin Tuck and the New York Giants safety Jason Pinnock visited the site of Vera’s first Restoring Promise young adult housing unit at Cheshire Correctional Institution in Connecticut.
Formerly incarcerated people are 10 times more likely to be unhoused—a disparity even wider for communities of color. Housing instability drives rearrest rates, while stable housing creates pathways to jobs, family support, and safety.
Across the #UnitedStates, cities and counties are rethinking their approach to behavioral health crises and public safety.
A series of fatal shootings by federal agents shows how an aggressive federal law enforcement agenda undermines the very public safety it claims to protect.
We are ringing the alarm; these vulnerable children could be deported to the very dangers they recently escaped as the Trump administration prepares another cruel mass deportation effort.
More than 20,000 unaccompanied children are at imminent risk of losing access to legal representation in their immigration proceedings.
Lorenzo Salgado Araujo should still be alive. Join a nationwide response to honor Lorenzo's life, support his family, and demand immediate accountability. 🗓️ Wednesday, July 15 ⏰ 8:00 PM EST 🔗 workers.fyi/justiceforlorenzo
If you are born in the United States of America, you are an American citizen. No president or politician should ever get to decide who is ‘American’ enough.”—Vera President Insha Rahman
VICTORY! #SCOTUS just affirmed birthright citizenship in a 6-3 ruling, rejecting the Trump administration's executive order in Trump v. Barbara.
Most recently, a Vera report found that immigrants are giving up their claims in immigration court and choosing to leave the country in dramatically higher numbers.
This #ImmigrantHeritageMonth, we honor immigrant communities by fiercely defending their right to stay.
Thousands of immigrants are languishing in detention—separated from their families and communities, coerced into surrendering their right to remain in the United States. This is the reality of mega master hearings. Universal representation has never been more urgently needed.
Through Vera's Restoring Promise initiative and T.R.U.E. units, it's becoming a reality in the United States too—and a blueprint for what New York City's jails could one day look like: www.vera.org/news/lessons...
Can a prison system built entirely on human dignity work? In Germany, it's a constitutional mandate.
This is her story: www.vera.org/news/how-leg... *Name changed to protect privacy.