U.S. Programs

Justice Denied: America's Continuing Neglect of Our Constitutional Right to Counsel
April 2009
This OSI-supported report examines the ability of the American justice system to provide adequate counsel to individuals in criminal and juvenile delinquency cases who cannot afford lawyers.

About U.S. Programs
OSI's U.S. Programs aims to address core threats to open society, including increasingly punitive national security policies, decreasing government transparency, entrenched structural racism, and growing incarceration rates.

George Soros Announces $50 Million Matching Grant to Fight Poverty in New York
May 12, 2009
The Open Society Institute has pledged $50 million to the Robin Hood Foundation to help people in New York City in need of basic services like food and shelter.

OSI-Supported Documentary on Torture and Accountability Debuts
May 1, 2009
Torture on Trial, which investigates the torture of detainees in U.S. custody and the growing movement for accountability, airs on Link TV.

Foundation Taps Visionaries to Reform U.S. Justice System
Press Release
April 29, 2009
The Open Society Institute has awarded Soros Justice Fellowships to 17 outstanding individuals working to restore fairness to a deeply flawed criminal justice system.

New Documentary Exploring Mental Illness After Prison Debuts on FRONTLINE
VIDEO
The Released provides a rare look at the lives of people suffering from mental illness as they struggle to stay out of prison and find a place in society.

Video Clip: Picking Cotton�Our Memoir of Injustice and Redemption
VIDEO
A new book by Open Society Institute fellows involves an improbable friendship forged between a woman and the man she misidentified as her rapist and sent to prison for 11 years.

OSI Forum: Bring Your "A" Game
OSI-New York
May 18, 2009
The Open Society Institute hosts a screening and discussion of the documentary Bring Your �A� Game, which seeks to reverse the trend of poor educational outcomes for black men and boys.

Third Annual Gathering of Leaders: The Affirmative Development of Boys and Young Men of Color
New Orleans, Louisiana
April 30, 2009
OSI grantee the Coalition of Schools Educating Boys of Color hosted its third annual gathering of educators, community leaders, and students to advance the intellectual capacity of black male students.

Breaking Barriers: The Obama Administration, the 111th Congress, and the Future of School-Age Black Males
Washington, D.C.
April 24, 2009
The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, the Howard University School of Education, and the Open Society Institute presented a discussion on education legislation, including education-related provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, at a forum on Capitol Hill.

"Raising Him Alone" Kickoff
Newark, New Jersey
March 14, 2009
The OSI-supported Raising Him Alone campaign hosted the first of its community forums, designed by single mothers to support and advocate for single mothers raising boys.