Insha Rahman is the Vice President of Advocacy and Partnerships at the Vera Institute of Justice and the Director of Vera Action, its independent 501(c)(4) sister organization. She leads the organization’s advocacy priorities and campaigns, partnering with governments and communities to end mass incarceration, defend immigrant rights, improve dignity for those behind bars, and build safe, thriving communities. She also supervises place-based initiatives in California, Louisiana, and New York, ensuring that local needs shape national reform.

She is recognized nationally as a leading expert on criminal legal reform. Rahman has been featured in major 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 shifting the national conversation on safety, accountability, and justice, while directly challenging “tough-on-crime” narratives, particularly during elections. At the 2024 Masters of Scale Summit, Rahman spoke about why punitive policies consistently fail and offered a vision centered on rehabilitation, restorative justice, and community investment as pathways to absolute safety and long-term change.

Rahman’s interest in justice reform began during her time at Vassar College, where she participated in a college-in-prison program. That experience revealed how the justice system failed to deliver fairness or proper safety. Learning about Vera Institute’s research on alternatives to incarceration showed her that evidence-based solutions were possible and could bring meaningful change. Over the years, she has taken on a variety of roles at the organization, including leading bail reform nationally, overseeing justice reform work in New York, and now shaping advocacy priorities at a national level.

Earlier in her career, Rahman served as a staff attorney at The Bronx Defenders, representing clients facing severe cases and supporting families through difficult situations. She also worked 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 gave her the experience to merge legal expertise with community-driven solutions, ensuring reforms addressed the needs of people most affected.

Beyond her leadership roles, Rahman 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 equally dedicated to mentoring, meeting with individuals each month who are pursuing careers in criminal justice and social justice, just as mentors supported her early on. With a Bachelor of Arts degree in Africana studies from Vassar College and a JD from the City University of New York School of Law, she has devoted nearly 25 years to justice reform. For Rahman, the mission is about building fair systems, supporting families, and creating more hopeful futures for communities everywhere.