Florida

04/18/2012
Drug-Testing Welfare Recipients

Just as We Suspected: Florida Saved Nothing by Drug Testing Welfare Applicants

By Rachel Bloom, ACLU at 1:52pm

Over 25 states introduced welfare drug testing legislation similar to Florida's this year.

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10/12/2011
Drug-Testing Welfare Recipients

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.

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08/22/2011
Drug-Testing Welfare Recipients

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.

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02/03/2012
Drug-Testing Welfare Recipients

The Daily Show Tells Florida Legislators: "I Think I’m Gonna Need You to Pee into This Cup"

By Rachel Bloom, ACLU at 12:09pm

Last night the Daily Show featured ACLU client Luis Lebron, a Navy veteran who refused to take the drug test required by the State of Florida for welfare applicants.

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05/19/2011
Drug-Testing Welfare Recipients

Florida Law Punishes Poor People for Being Poor

By Rachel Bloom, ACLU at 2:05pm

During this legislative session, more than two dozen states have introduced legislation to drug test individuals receiving or applying for various forms of public assistance. And by public assistance I mean individuals applying for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), welfare, unemployment and Medicare. (Incidentally, you know who isn't being asked to submit to drug testing before receiving public assistance? Bankers, traders and anyone who received money from the bailout.)

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03/13/2013
Solitary Violates Human Rights

The Sad State of Solitary in Florida: Is There Hope for this Human Rights Violation?

By Julie Ebenstein, ACLU of Florida at 3:59pm

The world got a glimpse this week into how the United States treats those we lock in solitary confinement, when the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights heard ACLU testimonies on how our treatment of vulnerable prisoners violates international human rights norms. The short story: we should be ashamed. For a more detailed picture, check back throughout the week for an ongoing blog series on the issue.

The United States has become a global outlier in its over-reliance on incarceration. Our soaring incarceration rates are, by now, a familiar statistic, expressed in any number of shocking formulas: the U.S. has less than 5 percent of the world’s population but over 25 percent of the world’s incarcerated people; the incarceration rate in the U.S. is four times the average for Western European countries; the U.S. incarcerates more people than South America, Central America and the Caribbean combined. In this era of mass incarceration, the racial disparities are staggering: one in four African-American children in the U.S. has grown up with a parent incarcerated.

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06/28/2011
Drug-Testing Welfare Recipients

Being Poor Is Not a Crime

By Rachel Bloom, ACLU at 1:25pm

June 2011 marks the 40th anniversary of President Richard Nixon's declaration of a "war on drugs" — a war that has cost roughly a trillion dollars, has produced little to no effect on the supply of or demand for drugs in the United States, and has contributed to making America the world's largest incarcerator. Throughout the month, check back daily for posts about the drug war, its victims and what needs to be done to restore fairness and create effective policy.

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10/25/2011
Florida

Victory in Florida: No Illegal Drug Testing For Welfare

By Maria Kayanan, ACLU of Florida at 5:07pm

On Monday we got some great news in Florida: following an ACLU lawsuit, the state will no longer be allowed to make people applying for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) take a drug test in order to get the assistance they need.

A month ago, four-year-old Jordan Lebron sat in a courtroom in Florida for three hours, quietly coloring and playing with toy cars while his father, Luis, sat with us at counsel table watching and listening to the judge's questions and the lawyers' answers.

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04/09/2013
United Nations

Seeking Justice through the U.N. Human Rights Committee

By Julie Ebenstein, ACLU of Florida at 10:13am

When the U.N. Human Rights Committee reviews U.S. compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) this October, the review will tackle many of the human rights violations plaguing Florida. Last week the committee released its list of issues, which will form the basis for the U.S. review, and demanded answers to questions regarding U.S. laws and policies in areas such as juvenile solitary confinement, felon disfranchisement, and discriminatory enforcement of criminal law. These human rights violations severely impact the lives of Floridians, but often evade court challenges or other domestic mechanisms of review.

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04/24/2012
Voter Suppression

The Democracy Restoration Act: Everyone Deserves a Voice

By Georgeanne M. Usova, Washington Legislative Office at 12:18pm

Six years ago, Desmond Meade stood along a set of railroad tracks and considered jumping in front of an oncoming train. Homeless, unemployed and recently released from prison, Desmond felt out of options, and couldn't imagine a future for himself. Thankfully, Desmond did not end his life that day, but instead, incredibly, found the courage to turn it around completely. Today, he is a second-year law student at Florida International University College of Law and president of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition.

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