Just Matters

In an executive order, Governor Andrew Cuomo restored voting rights to over 24,000 New Yorkers currently on parole. It's an important step forward for criminal justice reform, for voting rights, and for racial justice.

Despite similar crime rates, the US incarceration rate is more than five times that of comparable countries. Out of every 100,000 Americans, 693 are in prison—a number that has multiplied in the past four decades.

Attitudes around drug use are changing and the "War on Drugs" has failed—especially in communities of color. Updated policy is needed to create a more humane drug policy. 

How can creative and documentary work help build a fairer and more just society?

10 pressing tech issues that exist at the nexus of technology and social justice.

America Divided, a new documentary series from EPIX, explores narratives around inequality in education, housing, healthcare, labor, criminal justice and the political system.

The Ford Foundation recaps episode 3 of America Divided, a docu-series about rising inequality in the United States.

The first episode of America Divided, a new documentary series from EPIX, explores three issues of American inequality: our nation's broken criminal justice system, the Flint water crisis, and housing issues in New York City. 

Big data drives much of our daily lives, but without proper oversight, the use of data by government agencies can exacerbate existing inequality and harm communities. 

The Movement for Black Lives has created an opportunity for philanthropy to see and learn from new and dynamic forms of social justice leadership and infrastructure.

Filmmakers Kelly Duane de la Vega, Katie Galloway, and Kevin Bilal Chatman discuss mass incarceration, and their experiences making the documentary, The Return.

To mark Black History Month, we asked three racial justice advocates to reflect on what it means to commemorate and celebrate black history in a moment when racial justice is at the center of the national conversation.

Interview with filmmaker Stanley Nelson on his Black Panthers documentary and its relevance to #BlackLivesMatter and racial tensions today.

Foundation staff weigh in on Obama's final State of the Union, and  his takes on criminal justice reform, raising the minimum wage, climate change, discrimination, and inequality

Michelle Alexander speaks candidly to Ford Foundation staff about the state of racial justice in America.

Farhana Khera, President of Muslim Advocates, discusses the need to build coalitions with other movements to bend the arc of justice.

FCC votes to cap the rates and fees that companies charge for phone service in prisons and jails.

The pope’s visit to a Philadelphia prison puts a spotlight on the immorality of our justice system and the urgent need for reform.

People incarcerated in federal and state prisons will be eligible to receive federal aid to take the college courses that will prepare them to be thoughtful, responsible, engaged members of their communities—and help keep them from returning to prison.

There is genuine momentum to examine justice issues and bipartisan interest in reassessing corrections at both the state and federal level.

Unlikely partners come together to support the formation of the Coalition for Public Safety, created to reform the criminal justice system.

How can we rethink safety, crime, and victimization so resources can be redirected to structures that support individuals, families, and communities instead of trapping them?

Prison education can have a transformative affect on incarcerated people.

Learn how Max Kenner, founder of the Bard Prison Initiative, is trying to fix a broken prison system.