Blog of Rights

Breaking the Addiction to Incarceration: Weekly Highlights (02/22/2013)

By Alex Stamm, ACLU Center for Justice at 4:20pm

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 our 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.

Breaking the Addiction to Incarceration: Weekly Highlights (02/15/2013)

By Alex Stamm, ACLU Center for Justice at 3:48pm

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.

The Marijuana Fight Comes to Congress (Again)

By Meghan Groob, Media Relations Associate, ACLU at 5:03pm

Washington and Colorado made big news on Election Day last year when residents voted to legalize small amounts of recreational marijuana – could the federal government be next? Last week, two bills were introduced in the House of Representatives aimed at resolving the difference between laws in states like Washington and Colorado and federal law.

Breaking the Addiction to Incarceration: Weekly Highlights (02/08/2013)

By Alex Stamm, ACLU Center for Justice at 4:34pm

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 our 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.

Worried About Police Accountability in New York City? There's an App for That

By Mike Cummings, Senior Communications Coordinator, NYCLU at 3:54pm

With a flare for innovation fit for Steve Jobs, the New York Civil Liberties Union has empowered anyone...

Shhhh – What The FBI Doesn’t Want You to Know About its Racial Profiling Program

By Nusrat Choudhury, Staff Attorney, ACLU National Security Project at 12:40pm

The FBI is using a racial and ethnic mapping program to collect intelligence on American communities...

Breaking the Addiction to Incarceration: Weekly Highlights (02/01/2013)

By Alex Stamm, ACLU Center for Justice at 4:25pm

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 our 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.

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.

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...

If You Thought “The Game” Was Terrifying, Consider the “Hole” Where Michael Douglas’ Son is Currently Locked Alone

By Hilary Krase, ACLU National Prison Project & Sarah Solon, Communications Strategist, ACLU at 12:01pm

Celebrity gossip blogs and major papers are reporting that Cameron Douglas, the son of actor Michael Douglas...