Vera Institute of Justice

The Vera Institute of Justice (Vera) works to improve the systems people rely on for justice and safety, through research, evaluation, demonstration projects, and technical assistance. A vital partner in the Safety and Justice Challenge, Vera has created and maintained the initiative’s website, coordinated its social media engagement, and produced research and other materials that make a compelling public case for action in reducing jail incarceration. This award enables Vera to continue to play this central communications role, enhancing and expanding the Safety and Justice Challenge website, intensifying its social media engagement campaign, and producing and disseminating further research and policy papers to generate momentum for reform.

The Vera Institute of Justice (Vera) works to advance knowledge and practice in criminal justice through applied research, program evaluation, and technical assistance to leaders and practitioners. This award supports Vera’s continued participation as a site coordinator in the Safety and Justice Challenge, the Foundation’s criminal justice reform initiative aimed at reducing over-incarceration by targeting the misuse and overuse of jails. In addition to working with the Foundation and other initiative partners on the ongoing design and coordination of the initiative, Vera provides intensive technical assistance and support to a group of five Safety and Justice Challenge Network sites as they seek to understand the drivers of local jail usage and develop and implement plans to address them.

The Vera Institute of Justice (Vera) works to improve the systems people rely on for justice and safety, through research, evaluation, demonstration projects, and technical assistance. Vera has served as a key partner in the launch of the Safety and Justice Challenge, the Foundation’s criminal justice reform initiative aimed at reducing over-incarceration by targeting the misuse and overuse of jails, creating and maintaining the initiative’s website, coordinating its social media engagement, and producing research and other materials that make a compelling public case for action in reducing jail incarceration. This award enables Vera to continue to play this central communications role, enhancing and expanding the initiative website to reflect increased activity during the initiative’s implementation phase, intensifying its social media engagement campaign, producing and disseminating further research and policy papers, and expanding the impact of its newly created Incarceration Trends Database to generate momentum for reform.

Founded in 1961, the Vera Institute of Justice (Vera) provides research, implementation support, and technical assistance to improve the fairness and efficacy of the juvenile and criminal justice systems. The award supports the work of Vera's Status Offense Resource Center (the Center) to help policymakers and practitioners create effective community-based alternatives to formal court processing for youth who have not committed a crime, but whose behavior in missing school, running away from home, or acting out in other ways brings them to the attention of the juvenile court. One of four resource centers established by the Foundation to promote and support systems reform nationally, the Center serves as a resource clearinghouse and forum to learn about innovative policies and practices to address status offenses and move away from costly court involvement and punitive responses toward earlier, more effective interventions in the community that engage the family and stem deeper system involvement.

The Vera Institute of Justice (Vera) works to advance knowledge and practice in criminal justice through applied research, program evaluation, and technical assistance to leaders and practitioners. A previous award supported Vera's participation in the planning, design, and launch of the Safety and Justice Challenge Network, which will be composed of 20 competitively selected local jurisdictions committed to finding ways to reduce unnecessary jail incarceration safely and sustainably. The Safety and Justice Challenge Network is at the core of the Foundation's initiative to reduce over-incarceration by changing the way America thinks about and uses jails. This award enables Vera to provide project coordination and technical assistance in 2015 to a cohort of five of these jurisdictions, as they work to assess drivers oflocal incarceration and develop collaborative plans to address them. In 2016, the award provides support for Vera to continue to work with selected sites to implement their plans.

Founded in 1961, the Vera Institute of Justice provides research, implementation support, and technical assistance to improve the fairness and efficacy of the juvenile and criminal justice systems. This grant funds Vera to play a central role in the research, policy analysis, and communications activities of the Safety and Justice Challenge, a forthcoming national initiative aimed at reducing the overuse and misuse of jails.

The Vera Institute of Justice, the Center for Court Innovation, the Justice Management Institute, and Justice System Partners work to advance knowledge and practice in criminal justice through research, program evaluation, training, and the provision of technical assistance. This grant will enable them to assist in the planning, design, and launch of the Safety and Justice Challenge, a Foundation initiative aimed at reducing the overuse and misuse of jails nationwide.

Founded in 1961, the Vera Institute of Justice provides research, implementation support, and technical assistance to improve the fairness and efficacy of the juvenile and criminal justice systems. Vera will use this grant to plan and implement a series of Congressional briefings to educate policymakers on the need for federal support to sustain local criminal and juvenile justice systems reform efforts, including the progress made through Models for Change; and access to resources, tools, and innovations that will help identify opportunities for federal leadership on juvenile justice systems reform.

The Vera Institute of Justice provides research, implementation support, and technical assistance to improve the fairness and efficacy of the juvenile and criminal justice systems, and is the lead technical assistance provider in Models for Change, helping state and local jurisdictions develop, implement, and study strategies for safely diverting youth from the juvenile justice system. Vera will use the grant to create a web-based technical assistance and resource center on status offender systems reform providing case examples of best practices and model programs; information, tools, and webinars to guide reform efforts; and a help desk to guide use of the website and field requests for information and assistance.

The Vera Institute of Justice provides research, implementation support, and technical assistance to improve the efficacy of the juvenile and criminal justice systems. Its expertise in offering technical assistance to state and local governments, extensive knowledge of national best practices, and experience in helping governments make data-driven systems change has made Vera an important consultant in Models for Change. It will use this grant to help local and state partners in Louisiana and Washington develop, document, and assess efforts to create alternatives to formal processing for youth involved in the status offenders system and to use data and research to inform policy.

To prepare white papers on community corrections and the social and economic consequences of high rates of incarceration (over six months).

To support research, data analysis, and strategic planning on status offenders in Models for Change states (over two years).

Support for data analysis and facilitated strategic planning in Models for Change states (over two years).

For data analysis and facilitated strategic planning in Models for Change states (over 18 months).

To support a meeting on racial bias and the death penalty.

To build the endowment.