Vera Institute of Justice

Cara Compani is a Senior Program Associate with Vera’s Center on Sentencing and Corrections. Prior to joining Vera in March 2016, Cara worked for the D.C. Corrections Information Council, and led the organization which conducts independent oversight of the approximately 110 federal, local, and private facilities incarcerating D.C. residents. Cara was also a fellow at the Campaign for Youth Justice in Washington D.C. where her work focused on juvenile life without parole sentences and family engagement. Cara's interest in conditions of confinement and reentry began while working with juveniles at Brookwood Secure, a Juvenile Detention Center for young men in upstate New York. Cara worked with the majority of the residents at the facility; however, she spent most of her time supporting students in the Brookwood College Program. Cara holds a JD from Pace Law School, an MA in economics from the State University of New York, and a BA in economics from Marist College. Cara is a member of the New York State Bar and is in the process of completing the thesis requirement for an LLM focusing on International Human Rights Law at the George Washington University Law School.