Insha Rahman

Insha Rahman is the Vice President of Advocacy and Partnerships at the Vera Institute of Justice and also serves as the Director of Vera Action, its independent 501(c)(4) sister organization. She is responsible for driving advocacy priorities and campaigns that focus on ending mass incarceration, protecting immigrant rights, ensuring dignity for those behind bars, and building safer, thriving communities. She also leads place-based initiatives in California, Louisiana, and New York, ensuring that local needs shape national reform.

She is widely recognized as a national expert on criminal legal reform. Rahman has been featured in outlets such as The New York Times, NPR, City and State, Mother Jones, PBS’s MetroFocus, and The Nation. Over the past year, she has spearheaded shaping national conversations around safety, accountability, and justice, to challenge outdated “tough-on-crime” rhetoric, particularly during election cycles, and advocating for more effective, cost-efficient, and humane solutions. In 2024, she addressed the Masters of Scale Summit, where she explained why punitive policies often fail and presented a vision grounded in rehabilitation, restorative justice, and investments in communities.

Rahman’s path to this work began during her years at Vassar College, where she participated in a college-in-prison program. The experience gave her direct insight into the failures of the justice system to provide true fairness or safety. Learning about Vera Institute’s research on alternatives to incarceration inspired her belief that evidence-based strategies could provide real solutions. Since then, she has taken on many roles within the organization, from leading bail reform efforts nationwide to directing justice reform in New York, before stepping into her current senior leadership position.

Her earlier professional experience includes working as a staff attorney at The Bronx Defenders, where she represented clients facing serious charges and supported families navigating complex systems. She also served as an Associate Planner at the Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services and as a Program Associate at Vera Institute’s Center on Immigration and Justice. These roles helped her build the skills to connect law, policy, and community-driven solutions that create meaningful change.

Outside of her work at Vera Institute, she serves on the boards of the Aspen Institute’s Criminal Justice Reform Initiative and Dignity and Power Now, where she also chairs the board. She is committed to mentorship, regularly meeting with individuals exploring careers in criminal justice and social justice, reflecting her belief in giving back - the same guidance she once received. With a Bachelor of Arts in Africana studies from Vassar College and a JD from the City University of New York School of Law, she brings nearly 25 years of experience to this work. For Rahman, the mission has always been about helping families, creating hope, and building a justice system that works fairly for everyone.