Vera Institute of Justice

The Vera Institute of Justice is a non-governmental criminal justice research and policy organization, based in New York City. The Vera Institute of Justice was founded in 1961, by philanthropist Louis Schweitzer and Herb Sturz.

Funding & Support

In 1966, the Vera Institute of Justice received assistance from the Ford Foundation to turn the foundation into a private nonprofit organization. Vera Institute is now aligned with an international group of criminal justice think tanks known as Altus. One of this group's sponsors is billionaire George Soros. In 2007, Vera Institute was among over 530 New York City arts and social service institutions to receive part of a $20 million grant from the Carnegie Corporation, which was made possible through a donation by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Prison commission

The Vera Institute of Justice organized the Commission on Safety and Abuse in America’s Prisons, to study issues relating to prison violence and abuse. The commission was co-chared by former U.S. Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach and former Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, John Joseph Gibbons. On June 8, 2006, the commission released its report to Congress, recommending more attention be given to address problems of violence, insufficient mental health treatment, and health care in prisons. At a broader level, the commission criticized U.S. policy towards incarceration as costly and ineffective.

Sentencing Studies

The Vera Institute has advocated that a number of states reduce their prison population, taking the position that there are cost-effective alternatives to incarceration that protect public safety. [1] . They have worked with officials in about twenty states to advance these policies. One state, Connecticut, implemented this approach in the early 21st Century. [2] These policies were widely criticised in Connecticut after the July 2007 home invasion murders in Cheshire committed by two "non-violent" inmates who had been paroled. [3][4] Governor M. Jodi Rell largely abandoned this approach in September 2007 by announcing a moratorium on the parole of violent offenders after the state released a violent convict who was arrested again after he was paroled, in accordance with the recommendations of Vera that the number of criminals on parole be increased and penalties for parole violation be limited [5] Barbara Tombs of Vera admitted the Cheshire massacre had made state officials "a little less willing to think outside the box". [6] A November 2007 poll of Connecticut residents conducted by Quinnipiac University found an overwhelming majority of voters believed that the state's parole policies had become too lenient. [7]In response, a former ally of Vera, Representative Mike Lawlor, proposed a massive overhaul of the state's criminal justice system, including longer sentences and new prisons [8]

External Links

• Vera Institute of Justice
• Carnegie Corporation