Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is a popular definition of insanity. Those of us across the country trying repeatedly to pass bills that would prohibit the shackling of pregnant women in jails and prisons are hardly insane. Dedicated? Yes. Stubborn? Possibly. Unwilling to accept women suffering? Absolutely.
This year marks the third attempt to get a signature on a bipartisan, unanimously supported bill in California (AB 2530) that would ban the practice of putting incarcerated pregnant women in dangerous shackles. Similar bills have passed two previous legislative sessions with overwhelming support from both political parties, only to be vetoed. Opposition from the powerful law enforcement lobby surely played a role in these vetoes. But we have persevered, and this year we’ve been successful in keeping law enforcement neutral. While we’re happy with this progress, we still need the Governor to sign the bill.
By Devon Chaffee, Legislative Policy Counsel, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 11:37am
Yesterday 22 Members of Congress sent a letter to the Inspector General of the Department of Justice urging him to launch an investigation into the Federal Bureau of Investigation's improper recording and dissemination of information about the First Amendment-protected activities of American Muslims. Several of the members who joined the letter-including Representatives Pete Stark (D-CA-13), Anna Eshoo (D-CA-14), Sam Farr (D- CA-17), Mike Honda (D- CA-15), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-16), and Barbara Lee (D-CA-09) -represent districts in Northern California in which FBI memoranda document the use of community outreach for intelligence purposes.
By Elizabeth Gill, ACLU of Northern California at 8:29pm
Today's decision doesn’t decide marriage for everyone. But we should take the momentum and work towards marriage in other states, like New Jersey, Maine, Washington and Maryland.
Has North Carolina taken one step forward but another one back in trying to solve the state's prison population issues? The recently passed Justice Reinvestment Act looks to make some positive strides in the area of criminal justice reform, particularly by providing alternatives to prison for many drug possession offenses. But another new law that stiffens habitual offender laws is disturbingly reminiscent of other states' tough habitual offender laws — such as California's infamous "three strikes" law that, rather than reducing recidivism, has led to a well-publicized overcrowding problem in that state's prisons.
For the first time, California Attorney General Kamala Harris publicly weighed in on the hotly-contested federal immigration program, Secure Communities (S-Comm).
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.
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.
The Washington Post ran a great editorial Tuesday pointing out how schools frequently overreact to misbehaving students, and why the resulting loss in classroom time does not lead to better behavior, nor improved school safety.
The editorial references a new report on promoting positive solutions to school discipline, which found that more than 90,500 students were suspended or expelled from a Virginia school in 2010-2011. Most suspensions and expulsions resulted from minor misbehavior, such as disorderly classroom conduct or misuse of electronics. The editorial pointed out the harsh impact of such unnecessary disciplinary measures:
By Rebecca Farmer, ACLU of Northern California at 1:00pm
Yesterday the ACLU of Northern California and the National Lawyers Guild sued the Oakland Police for trampling on the constitutional rights of Occupy Oakland demonstrators.
By Linda Lye, Staff Attorney, ACLU of Northern California at 11:13am
The Oakland Police Department oversaw the use of excessive force against Occupy Oakland demonstrators, and now the department is refusing to hand over information about what really happened.
