Annie Comes Home: Mass incarceration isn’t the answer

Thursday, June 5, 2025

Mass incarceration isn’t the answer

On any given day, half a million people are held in California jails, prisons, and immigration detention centers. Vera is working to change that. Are you with us? →

Dear Pamela,

California spends billions of dollars each year on prisons alone. Black and Latino/a Californians have been disproportionately harmed by this system of incarceration.

Vera California works with communities and government to reduce incarceration and spark investments in long-underfunded community-based programs that promote safety and well-being.

But we can't do this work alone. Are you with us?

854,000 people arrested in California in 2020, more than any other state.

40,000+ people held in California jails while awaiting trial, the second-highest pretrial detention rate in the country.

97 people have died in Los Angeles County jails since the start of 2023.

I know we can do better. That's why Vera California collaborates with government leaders and community partners to create new policies with real impacts on people's lives—working together toward a vision of safety, well-being, and racial justice for all Californians.

You can help us continue the vital work of reducing mass incarceration and creating safer communities by donating now.

In solidarity,
Michelle

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