News Release

Vera Institute Unveils Improved Site in Support of Criminal Justice Research and Reform

June 15, 2009

The Vera Institute, a leading provider of expertise and technical assistance to civil and government organizations, recently announced the launch of their new and improved website at www.vera.org.

Since its inception in 1961, the Vera Institute has focused on improving the fairness and quality of the public safety and justice systems. Vera delivers evidence-based solutions to some of the sector's most pressing challenges, including violent crime and chronic truancy, and partners with organizations at the local, state, and federal levels to analyze, implement, and evaluate criminal justice programs.

The site redesign, lead by Forum One Communications, was part of an overall initiative to better showcase Vera's extensive portfolio of research, demonstration projects, and technical assistance services.

A primary objective was to make Vera's huge library of resources, which has been built over decades by some of the most authoritative figures in the discipline, available and searchable to online users for the very first time. To this end, Forum One integrated the new site with Vera's legacy DSpace repository. Users can now locate and leverage hundreds of reports, research findings, and program documents in a format that is useful and appealing to them.

In addition, the site offers greater interactivity and includes a host of multimedia capabilities. Users can visit the blog, sign up for RSS updates, browse through video and audio feeds, and plot Vera's projects on a dynamic map.

The site's mapping feature, built using a Google Map mashup, helps users better understand the breadth of Vera's efforts around the country and increasingly, around the world. The map enables users to filter Vera's project work by topic and other parameter types and plots such content on a clear, visually appealing map.

Vera hopes that the new site will increase their impact and improve their ability to facilitate change in the criminal justice system.

Already, Vera's stakeholders are taking advantage of the site's expanded functionality, especially the “expert highlights” feature, which shines a spotlight on the unique accomplishments and diverse backgrounds of Vera's specialists. Current and potential public sector partners are able to quickly scan staff expertise by viewing associated projects, topics, and other relevant content.

Forum One built and deployed the site on the Drupal open-source content management system. The revamped information architecture improves the look and feel of the site and works to successfully attract and engage Vera's target audiences.

The Google API framework and DSpace integration enables the site to seamlessly pass information to and from other applications for superior interoperability and flexibility.

Forum One Communications is a web strategy and development firm based in Alexandria, Va. Since 1996, Forum One has helped hundreds of organizations use internet technology to solve the world's most pressing problems. For more information, visit www.forumone.com.

Contact

Andrew Cohen