Blog of Rights

Happy Birthday to the Corrections Corporation of America? Thirty Years of Banking on Bondage Leaves Little to Celebrate

By Carl Takei, ACLU National Prison Project at 10:53am

Thirty years ago yesterday, two retired military officers and a former prison administrator...

VICTORY! Supreme Court Finds Drunk-Driving Laws Can Be Strictly Enforced without Abandoning Constitutional Rights

By Steve Shapiro, ACLU at 11:52am

The ACLU welcomes today's Supreme Court's decision in Missouri v. McNeely. Writing for the majority...

Three Reasons to Join Our Protest of 30 Years of Private Prisons Today in D.C.

By Seema Sadanandan, Organizer, ACLU of the Nation's Capital at 10:53am

Join us at noon today in Washington, DC at 19th Street S.E. between C and Burke to protest the Corrections Corporation of America...

7 Year-Old Boy Handcuffed for $5 'Robbery'

By Alison Silveira, Paralegal, Racial Justice Program, ACLU at 3:01pm

Five dollars is apparently all it takes to land a 7-year-old in handcuffs in a New York City public school these days.

Parents across New York City awoke Wednesday morning to the news that Bronx third-grader Wilson Reyes was pulled out of class, handcuffed and interrogated over the course of 10 hours at his elementary school, and later, at a local precinct. Reyes was charged with robbery after someone said he grabbed $5 that a classmate had dropped on the floor, causing a scuffle among several boys.

Poor People Have Rights Too

By Rachel Bloom, ACLU at 4:05pm

Drug-testing those applying for public assistance is unconstitutional, shortsighted and will end up costing states more than any possible savings.

International Body Slams U.S. Solitary Confinement Practices

By Ian Kysel, Aryeh Neier Fellow, ACLU Human Rights Program at 5:07pm

There are more than 80,000 people in solitary confinement in the United States. Last week, the widespread misuse and abuse of solitary confinement in jails and prisons across the country drew international condemnation when the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights criticized the United States following weeks of hearings on human rights practices across the Americas region.

Youth Solitary Confinement in Texas: A Two-Step in the Right Direction

By Cat McCulloch, ACLU of Texas at 1:51pm

Before 1974, prison guards in Texas routinely beat the kids supposedly under their care and protection. The U.S. District Court...

Breaking the Addiction to Incarceration: Weekly Highlights (05/10/2013)

By Alex Stamm, ACLU Center for Justice at 4:22pm

Today, the U.S. has the highest incarceration rate of any country in the world. With over 2.3 million men and women living behind bars, our imprisonment rate is the highest it’s ever been in U.S. history. And yet, our criminal justice system has failed on every count: public safety, fairness and cost-effectiveness. Across the country, the criminal justice reform conversation is heating up. Each week, we feature some of the most exciting and relevant news in overincarceration discourse that we’ve spotted from the previous week. Check back weekly for our top picks.

Told You So: Florida's New Drug Testing Policy Already Costing Taxpayers More

By Rachel Bloom, ACLU at 5:57pm

We've told you a few times about Florida's horrible new law that drug tests all families applying for cash benefit welfare applicants. The law, which went into effect July 1, makes applicants front the cost of the drug test and reimburses individuals if they test negative.

The ACLU and others predicted this program would be a failure and cost the state of Florida much more money than they would save. Guess what? In just the few weeks that the program has been in effect we have been proven right.

"Reflection Cottages": The Latest Spa Getaway or Concrete Solitary Confinement Cells for Kids?

By Kiela Parks, Advocacy Associate, ACLU of Colorado at 12:06pm

When you hear the term "reflection cottage," what comes to mind? A relaxing spa getaway...