“For a minute, I’m like, ‘You know that person you’re dancing next to, smiling with, that’s your correctional officer?’” said Porter, a research associate at the Vera Institute of Justice, who was on hand to witness a family engagement day at Vera and the MILPA Collective’s two Restoring Promise units in South Carolina a few years ago. The Restorin ...

A conversation with family advocates about COVID-19 and Youth Justice

As youth justice agencies race to prevent and respond to the harms of the novel coronavirus, families are essential partners. In this webinar, hosted by the Vera Institute of Justice and the Georgetown Center for Juvenile Justice Reform, we hear directly from family advocates about the actions families need systems to take in the present moment. Th ...

Centering Human Dignity Across Decarceration, Reentry, and Operations

During this webinar, former and current corrections and legislative leaders grapple with strategies for releasing people who are in prison, including pathways that currently exist for directors of departments of correction and those that will require gubernatorial or legislative action. Panelists also discuss what types of reentry supports will be ...

MILPA’s work has contributed to an 89 percent drop in homicides in Salinas, California, where the organization is based. Their staff brings talent and skills, honed over decades, to connect with people who are incarcerated and with corrections agencies, guiding a healing process that allows prison culture to change more quickly in Restoring Promise ...

Gala 2019 event video

Vera Institute of Justice's 13th Annual Gala event video, featuring Restoring Promise, SAFE Network, and College in Prison initiatives.