American Civil Liberties Union

Our constitution is meant to safeguard against government abuses of power. But all too often, the rights of those involved in the criminal justice system are compromised or ignored. The ACLU works to reform the criminal justice system and make the promise of fair treatment a reality for all people. >> More about the ACLU's Criminal Justice work.


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Criminal Justice : Sentencing : Press Releases

ACLU Files Legal Challenge to Solitary Confinement of Sex Offenders Awaiting Civil Commitment Trials in Iowa (11/29/2001)
DES MOINES--The Iowa Civil Liberties Union today filed a lawsuit on behalf of former convicts who have served their time and are now being held in solitary confinement pending trial on whether they should be indefinitely committed as "sexually violent predators." 

U.S. Court of Appeals Affirms Unconstitutionality of Connecticut's Sex Offender Website Law (10/19/2001)
HARTFORD -- The Connecticut Civil Liberties Union today applauded an appeals court decision saying that the state's sex offender registry law "fails to accommodate the constitutional rights" of persons formerly convicted of a wide range of sexual offenses because they had not been given the chance to show they were not a threat to the community.

ACLU Urges Defeat of 'Two Strikes' Automatic Sentencing Law, Calls Measure Overbroad, Unfair and Unnecessary (07/31/2001)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today urged Congress to defeat a controversial measure that would impose an automatic life sentence for individuals convicted twice of a broad range of sex offenses involving minors. 

ACLU Urges Defeat of 'Two Strikes' Automatic Sentencing Law, Calls Measure Overbroad, Unfair and Unnecessary (07/31/2001)
WASHINGTON -- The American Civil Liberties Union today urged Congress to defeat a controversial measure that would impose an automatic life sentence for individuals convicted twice of a broad range of sex offenses involving minors. 

New Poll Shows Surprisingly Forgiving Attitude Toward Crime and Punishment: Most Americans Don't Want to Throw Away the Key (07/19/2001)
WASHINGTON - A new poll commissioned by the American Civil Liberties Union released today reveals a strong dissatisfaction with the current state of the criminal justice system in America and a growing public confidence in rehabilitation and alternative punishments for non-violent offenders. 

ACLU and Religious Groups Bring Constitutional Challenge to CA Governor's "No Parole" Policy (04/18/2001)
SAN FRANCISCO--Three religious denominations represented by the American Civil Liberties Union affiliates of Northern and Southern California filed a friend-of-the-court brief today in support of a man who is challenging Governor Gray Davis' decision to deny him parole. 

Connecticut's Sex Offender Website Registry Violates Rights, Court Rules (04/02/2001)
HARTFORD--A Connecticut law unfairly stigmatizes those who are forced to register as dangerous sex offenders without being allowed to show that they are not a threat to the community, a federal court here ruled today. 

Strengthened by Federal Appeals Court Ruling, ACLU Presses Ahead Fighting for HIV-Positive Prisoners (11/22/2000)
JACKSON, MS - On the heels of a federal appeals court decision that Mississippi prisoners with HIV and AIDS have been inadequately represented, the American Civil Liberties Union today vowed to press ahead to ensure standard medical care, safe and humane prison conditions and equal treatment regardless of HIV status.

In Yet Another Blow to Judicial Independence, High Court Allows Congress to Limit Prison Litigation (06/19/2000)
WASHINGTON -- In a fresh blow to the independence of the federal courts, the Supreme Court today reinstated a key provision of a 1995 law aimed at curtailing federal court oversight of state prisons.

Seeking Amends for False Imprisonment (09/28/1999)
BOSTON -- How do the innocent collect when they are released from prison after spending years behind bars for crimes they didn't commit?

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