Vera Institute of Justice

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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. In 1966, they received assistance from the Ford Foundation to turn the foundation into a private nonprofit organization. [1]

[edit] 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. [2] 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. [3]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Mission and Origins. Vera Institute of Justice.
  2. ^ Mission. Commission on Safety and Abuse in America’s Prisons.
  3. ^ Slevin, Peter (2006, June 8). U.S. Prison Study Faults System and the Public. The Washington Post.

[edit] External link