Vera’s Substance Use and Mental Health Program (SUMH) conducts applied research to help public officials and community organizations develop empirically driven responses to the substance use and mental health needs of people involved in justice systems. SUMH staff collect and analyze quantitative and qualitative data to examine the interaction between public health and justice systems and evaluate existing programs to understand the experiences of those affected by psychiatric disorders or substance use and policies that prolong their involvement in the justice system.

Related Work

No Access to Justice

Breaking the Cycle of Homelessness and Jail

On any given night in the United States, more than 550,000 people experience homelessness. The U.S. legal system criminalizes survival behaviors associated with homelessness and fails to acknowledge that people who are homeless face impossible odds within the legal process. Black people, who already face a disproportionate risk of homelessness, are ...

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  • Madeline Bailey , Erica Crew , Madz Reeve
August 12, 2020
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Changing Course in the Overdose Crisis

Moving from Punishment to Harm Reduction and Health

Drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the United States, and communities across the country are struggling to respond. But the punitive approach exemplified by the “war on drugs” has driven mass incarceration, exacerbated racial disparities within the criminal justice system, and devastated communities of color. The United State ...

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  • Jason Tan de Bibiana , Charlotte Miller , Leah Pope , Susan Stellin, Jim Parsons , David Cloud
February 21, 2020
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Preventing Suicide and Self-Harm in Jail

A Sentinel Events Approach

Suicide is the leading cause of death in jails across the country. At a time when the public is paying closer attention to local jails and their primary role in mass incarceration, it is critical to shine light on the problem of jail suicide and the steps jails can take to prevent future deaths. This report is the second from Vera that frames suici ...

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  • Jason Tan de Bibiana , Therese Todd , Leah Pope
July 08, 2019
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