Vera Institute of Justice

Today, we’re launching the Emergency Justice Fund—a critical effort to protect Vera’s work advancing justice, safety, and human dignity.     Why now? Because the Trump administration is escalating its attacks on our mission. First, by slashing $5M from our public safety programs. Then, by threatening to install a DOGE team in our office—a chilling attempt to disrupt our work. These moves are part of a broader effort to silence civil society and those of us who seek racial justice and to protect the rights of immigrants.     With YOUR support, the Emergency Justice Fund will ensure Vera’s evidence-based programs continue—no matter what comes next. Join us in the fight: https://lnkd.in/eygmnH7x

New York City’s notorious jail system has claimed another life. Ardit Billa, 29, is the 10th person to die in NYC DOC custody or shortly after being released this year. On Saturday, officers found Billa “unresponsive in his cell” in a Rikers Island jail complex. This steady stream of deaths continues even after the chief district judge for the Manhattan federal court said she would appoint an independent “remediation manager” to help oversee NYC jails. Our leaders must take comprehensive steps to stop deaths in city jails, including: ❗️Reducing the jail population ❗️ Allowing the new remediation manager to use the full powers of their appointment ❗️ Right sizing the DOC https://lnkd.in/eVA_P-N9

“There should not be two systems of justice, one for the poor and one for the rich.” This week, Trump signed a baseless executive order aimed at ending “cashless bail” across the country. Here's the truth: Money bail punishes people who can't afford to buy their freedom, undermines fairness, and fails to make communities safer.

Twenty years ago, Hurricane Katrina taught us that safety and dignity rise and fall together. The hurricane also exposed deep flaws in our justice system, as the sheriff's department chose to abandon incarcerated people without food or water—forcing them to face the floodwaters alone.     Natural disasters like #HurricaneKatrina magnify both the harms of our over reliance on jails and prisons and the fact that real safety comes from investing in communities, not more punishment.     #NewOrleans #HumanRights #EndMassIncarceration

#Fact: Though crime trended downward in New Orleans from 2017 to 2022, Black men and boys experienced disproportionate contact with the criminal legal system. Vera’s report, “Steps Toward Justice” evaluates the road taken and paves the path toward racial equity and directing people away from the criminal legal system in Louisiana. Everyone wants to be safe. And we deserve real solutions to prevent crime, respond to crisis, and stop violence. If #NewOrleans is serious about taking ‘steps toward justice,’ further reforms— like policy changes that ensure racial equity in case screenings and prosecution, behavioral treatment, family support, and community violence intervention programs—are needed. Read our full report: https://lnkd.in/eyMPJg5U

“What we are seeing now is this sweeping indiscriminate effort to round up anyone they can. And they’re trying to justify their actions with some misleading, but outright false rhetoric about immigrants...To go after community members, neighbors, business owners, parents, kids, is really upending stability.” —Vera’s Shayna Kessler Fear and uncertainty: This is the unsettling reality for New York’s immigrant communities, living on edge as the Trump administration escalates its promises of mass deportation and lets cruelty unfold. https://lnkd.in/eq9GniBK

For more than two months, masked and heavily armed federal agents have descended upon Los Angeles. The result: Overcrowded detention centers with limited access to lawyers, aggressive responses to protests, and empty streets as people fear leaving their homes—disproportionately harming Latine and immigrant communities. Right now, Angelenos need local leaders to fight for: ➡️ Cash aid to support families forced to miss work ➡️ Funding for immigration legal representation, public defenders, and robust sanctuary policies that make clear local government is separate from the federal agents attacking our communities ➡️ Fund solutions that work, like street safety improvements, youth programs, and housing As Trump ramps up his threats against safety and justice in other cities like DC that oppose his agenda, it is time for LA to show the country how to protect our communities. https://lnkd.in/eHXQYvtz

ICE is withholding information on transgender people in detention, a move that undermines oversight and makes it harder to advocate for people’s rights. “The harms of anti-immigrant and anti-trans policies and the harms of detention that are worsening under this administration are just all being compounded, and at a time where we have even less access to just the most basic statistics.” —Noelle Smart, principal research associate at Vera Congress must hold ICE accountable to comply with its obligation for data transparency to the public. https://lnkd.in/dbqT9HdK

For transgender immigrants in ICE detention like Alexa, the Trump administration’s continued attacks on our most vulnerable neighbors is resulting in needless, cruel trauma and suffering. Read Alexa’s story: https://lnkd.in/emQayBr6

Yesterday, President Trump signed a baseless executive order that threatens to cut federal funding from jurisdictions that have ended or limited cash bail. This attack on sensible, evidence-backed policies is an attack on safety, accountability, and justice for all. The evidence is clear: Cash bail does not make us safe. It privileges the wealthy and penalizes those who cannot pay the price of their freedom—generating billions in profit for the private bail bond industry each year. We cannot allow the president to put this escalating power grab above the well-being of our communities. Read our full statement: https://lnkd.in/eCjeA-V7