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Vera Institute of Justice @vera.org · 2d

Earlier this week, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order banning ICE from using city property in their operations—a critical measure to ensure immigrants’ safety. thehill.com/homenews/sta...

thehill.com

Strategies and Insights to End Girls’ Incarceration: Lessons from the…

Vera Institute of Justice @vera.org · 2d

What if we invested in girls' freedom, instead of their incarceration?

Explore Vera's new toolkit to learn how we can transform the juvenile justice system into one that values dignity, equity, and true justice: https://www.vera.org/ending-girls-incarceration-how-to

Vera works closely with government and civic leaders to urgently build and improve justice systems that ensure fairness, promote safety, and strengthen…

Funding cut to Indy’s immigrant legal defense fund is reversed

Vera Institute of Justice @vera.org · 3d

Good news: Indianapolis community members and city-county councilors successfully advocated to restore the city’s immigrant legal services fund. This critical win safeguards the city’s immigrant communities from unjust deportations and attacks on their due process rights.

Plus: Despite ICE concerns, the sheriff’s budget also passed out of committee.

mirrorindy.org

Maryland must give everyone a fair chance at housing | GUEST COMMENTARY

Vera Institute of Justice @vera.org · 4d

"A fair chance at housing is a fair chance at a life."

Maryland's Fair Chance Access to Housing Act would increase housing access for formerly incarcerated people—creating safer communities and reducing recidivism.

Applicants for housing shouldn’t be pre-judged based on their criminal history, writes Antoine Lovell and Marquis Howard.

www.baltimoresun.com

Vera Institute of Justice @vera.org · 5d

Our leaders must advance policies that promote family unity, a strong economy, and thriving immigrant communities. These protections are critically important as we brace for the unjust and unnecessary harm that will come from denying people bond and keeping them locked up.

Vera Institute of Justice @vera.org · 5d

The systematic dismantling of due process under the Trump administration is on full display:

❗Pressuring immigrants to self-deport
❗Holding them indefinitely in poor conditions
❗Blocking millions from accessing bond
❗Denying immigrants facing deportation a fair hearing

Under Trump Policy, Bonds for Immigrants Facing Deportation Are Vanishing

Vera Institute of Justice @vera.org · 5d

For decades, judges granted bonds to detained immigrants deemed neither flight risks nor public safety threats and allowed them to live in their communities while awaiting lengthy court proceedings. That all vanished in July when ICE reinterpreted immigration law. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/u...

www.nytimes.com

Children’s Advocates Condemn DHS Plans to Pay Children to Return Themselves to Harm - Children Thrive Action Network

Reposted by Vera Institute of Justice

Children Thrive Action Network @letkidsthrive.bsky.social · 6d

On Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) alerted legal service providers serving immigrant children of their plans to incentivize the children to leave the country and abandon their legal rights to seek safety in the United States.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MEDIA CONTACTS: Melissa Stek, communications consultant, [email protected] Tom Salyers, Director of Communications, [email protected] Washington, DC, October 5, 2025—On Th...

childrenthriveaction.org

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Vera Institute of Justice @vera.org · 5d

Trump is using crime as a pretext to threaten cities like Washington, DC and justify a power grab.

Our elected leaders need to call out this ruse and go on the offense about what actually works to make our cities safe—and it’s not sending in the military.

Sending in the National Guard Won’t Make Our Cities Safer

The federal government has a role to play in public safety, but a military takeover isn’t it.

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Vera Institute of Justice @vera.org · 5d

MCIU’s effectiveness at providing alternative first response shows underscore the importance of prioritizing care and collaboration.

Vera Institute of Justice @vera.org · 5d

Since 2023, MCIU has:

➡️ Operated 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year

➡️ Responded to 2,448 calls in year one

➡️ Resolved nearly 65% of all calls by providing compassionate and immediate care

Coordinating Alternative First Response: Key Lessons and…

Vera Institute of Justice @vera.org · 5d

Over 100 alternative response teams, including New Orleans’ Mobile Crisis Intervention Unit (MCIU), operate across the U.S. These services dispatch trained civilian professionals to answer 911 calls, addressing health and social needs with care and reducing the risks of both harm and incarceration.

Across the country, local governments have been investing in alternative first response services, which dispatch trained civilian professionals to answer…

Students in prison are returning to school this fall.

Vera Institute of Justice @vera.org · 5d

College-in-prison programs:
✅ Reduce violence and improve quality of life behind bars
✅ Expand employment opportunities after release
✅ Lower recidivism

Support incarcerated students returning to school by sending a message of good luck:

Sign the card to congratulate incarcerated students headed back to school.

secure.vera.org

Vera Institute of Justice @vera.org · 9d

🚨ICE is paying NY County jails to detain immigrants.

The immigration detention network is growing across the state, now holding six times more people for federal immigration than it did last year, profiting from detaining many immigrants who have no criminal charges or convictions.

ICE Detentions in New York County Jails Have Exploded

So far this year, the state's county jails have held six times more people for federal immigration authorities than they did in all of 2024.

nysfocus.com

What a Department of Community Safety Could Look Like in New York…

Vera Institute of Justice @vera.org · 9d

Cities across the country, diverse in size and scale of safety challenges have succeeded in establishing a comprehensive approach to public safety, prioritizing investments in a range of resources that meet people’s needs.

💭 What would it look like if #NYC and more cities did the same?

Zohran Mamdani won New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary on a platform of community-centered safety solutions. Here's how they have worked elsewhere.

San Diego advocates push to end girls’ incarceration

Vera Institute of Justice @vera.org · 9d

California is transforming its approach to juvenile justice by investing in community-led programs that keep young people at home, not behind bars.

Ending girls' incarceration isn't just possible, it's essential to making communities stronger and safer.

With only 25 girls detained, local organizers say the number should be zero — and they’re calling for community-led alternatives.

www.daylightsandiego.org

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Vera Institute of Justice @vera.org · 9d

This is the unfortunate reality for people with conviction histories. New work requirements for Medicaid, which makes employment a prerequisite for access to health care, will compound the existing challenges they face, making breaking the cycle of incarceration that much more difficult.

The Challenge of Finding a Job After Prison

Vera Institute of Justice @vera.org · 9d

“It is very difficult to get a job while having a felony...People need a second chance.” —Vanessa Santiago, a formerly incarcerated person who—despite a glowing record at her job—was fired after reporting she was on parole.

www.vera.org/news/the-cha...

It wasn’t easy finding work after more than 17 years in prison, but Vanessa Santiago persisted. She was eventually hired at a Lowe’s Home Improvement…

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Vera Institute of Justice @vera.org · 10d

New York City has the chance to join this movement. By consolidating proven safety strategies under one umbrella, we can build safer, healthier communities for all.

What a Department of Community Safety Could Look Like in New York…

Vera Institute of Justice @vera.org · 10d

The results speak for themselves:
✅ 62% reduction in homicides in Richmond
✅ 53% drop in use-of-force in Albuquerque
✅ 50% decline in shootings in Newark & Saint Paul

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Vera Institute of Justice @vera.org · 10d

Public safety is about more than policing.

Cities across the U.S.—including Albuquerque, Durham, Newark, and Richmond—have created new city departments that coordinate crisis response, violence prevention, survivor support, and more. www.vera.org/news-spotlig...

Zohran Mamdani won New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary on a platform of community-centered safety solutions. Here's how they have worked elsewhere.