Vera, and the justice reform movement, lost a champion this year with the death of Fred Patrick, director of Vera’s Center on Sentencing and Corrections (CSC). A powerful mentor to many Vera staff members, Fred was a passionate and tireless advocate for a more just and humane criminal justice system. He joined Vera in 2012 to lead our efforts to provide incarcerated people with access to a college education. In 2015, Fred was elevated to director of CSC, where he led a team committed to centering human dignity in corrections by cutting the use of solitary confinement, reducing the jailed population, and increasing access to public housing for people coming home from prison. Thousands of people throughout the country are thriving today as a direct result of Fred’s visionary work and commitment to justice.