Vera Institute of Justice

Last night was the annual benefit for the Vera Institute of Justice, one of my favorite organizations. The focus of the evening was Vera's work to transform the criminal justice system in New Orleans, an effort in which we played a small, supporting role during the early stages. While there is clearly a lot of work still to be done in New Orleans, it seems that Vera has already helped the city dramatically reduce the length of time arrestees spend in custody prior to appearing in court. The best part of the evening for me was the chance to catch up with old pals and acquaintances, including Dean Esserman, who is working to keep the streets safe in one of my former hometowns, Providence, Rhode Island.