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Racial Justice
Locking Up Our Children: ACLU Report on Unjust Detention of Youth in Massachusetts (5/12/2008)
A widespread practice in Massachusetts of locking up youth
accused of minor offenses and who pose little or no danger to their communities
is unfair, threatens public safety and wastes public money, according to a
report released in May 2008 by the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of
Massachusetts. The report documents the
use of detention by state judges as a rehabilitative tool to frighten youth
never convicted of wrongdoing. The report also addresses the woeful lack of
placement availability in the state's child welfare and mental health systems
that leave detention as the only viable option for youth who cannot safely be
returned to their homes. Locking Up Our Children is a follow-up report to a 2003 report by the ACLU, which documented the disproportionate representation of youth of color in Massachusett's juvenile justice system.
Report: Turning a Blind Eye to Racial Discrimination in America
The government report failed to level with the international community about the U.S.'s human rights record when it comes to racial injustice. The ACLU's report details police brutality and racial profiling, voter disfranchisement and skyrocketing rates of incarceration, and wide, corrosive effects of racial discrimination.
> Report: Race & Ethnicity in America
> 12/10/2007: New ACLU Report Details Pervasive Racial Discrimination in America
> 6/13/2007: ACLU Calls State Department Report a "Complete Whitewash"
Report: Persistent Racial Disparities in Federal Death Penalty (6/25/2007)
Coauthored by the ACLU's Capital Punishment Project and Racial Justice Program, this report details the persistent racial disparities in federal death penalty sentencing. Mounting evidence suggests that race continues to play a role in who lives or dies in the federal judicial system.
> Read the Report
Broken Promises: Two Years After Katrina (8/10/2006)
Two years ago, Hurricane Katrina ripped through the Gulf Coast, devastating the homes and lives of millions of people. The ACLU has been inundated with reports of racial injustice and human rights violations in Louisiana and Mississippi, both during and since Katrina. Broken Promises, a comprehensive report from the ACLU, documents the terrible conditions and dangerous lack of planning at the Orleans Parish Prison, and details other increases in police abuse, racial profiling, housing discrimination, along with other civil liberties violations and the ACLU's continuing response.
Read the report and learn more>>
NYCLU and ACLU Report Calls for End to Over-Policing in New York City Schools (3/18/2007)
Criminalizing the Classroom: The Over-Policing of New York City Schools examines the origins and the consequences of the city's aggressive policing operation in schools. It provides analyses of the results of a broad student survey and profiles of individual students whose experiences illuminate the problems with policing in schools.
> Press Release
> Report
ACLU Fights to End Racial Inequity and Harshness in Cocaine Sentencing (10/26/2006)
The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 established mandatory minimum sentencing policies that subject people who are low-level cocaine users to the same or harsher sentences as major dealers. The Act also established a 1-to-100 sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine, making the minimum sentence for 500 grams of powder cocaine - a more expensive drug primarily used by affluent whites - the same as that for just 5 grams of crack - a drug whose primary users are low-income people, many of whom are African American.
This discrepancy remains although there is no medical basis for the difference, and despite repeated recommendations by the U.S. Sentencing Commission to Congress to reconsider the penalties. The ACLU is working to educate the public about these discrepancies and to change these racist and draconian drug policies. Read more at the website of the Drug Law Reform Project >>
A Blueprint for Meeting the Needs of Texas Girls in Custody
Drawing on intensive on-site research, this report describes the conditions of confinement experienced by girls in the custody of the Texas Youth Commission (TYC). In TYC's massive juvenile prisons, a harsh regime of control and punishment not only fails to rehabilitate girls, but exacerbates past trauma and inflicts additional damage on confined children.
Learn More >>
A Bond Forged in Struggle: The ACLU's Historic Alliance with African-Americans in the Quest for Racial Justice
The report recounts the ACLU's ongoing efforts seeking racial equality in America. The ACLU’s decades-long racial justice docket has included victories in many important areas, from discrimination in housing, education and access to public services, to racial profiling and prisoners’ rights. Significant progress has been made, to be sure. But after Katrina’srains subsided, no one could deny that there was still much left to be done.
> Report: A Bond Forged in Struggle: The ACLU's Historic Alliance with African-Americans in the Quest for Racial Justice |
Disproportionate Minority Confinement in Massachusetts (6/2/2003)
As of 2003, although approximately seven out of 10 children confined to Massachusetts' state facilities were youth of color, the state had never collected the data necessary to determine why this was the case. Of the $35 million the state received in from 1998-2003 for youth-related programs, less than .01% was allocated to programs specifically designed to minimize racial disparities. The ACLU documented these shortcomings and disparities in a report entitled Disproportionate Minority Confinement in Massachusetts: Failures in Assessing and Addressing Overrepresentation of Minorities in the Massachusetts' Juvenile Justice System. Since the release of this report, the ACLU has engaged in numerous forums and dialogues with government officials, law enforcement officials, community members, academics and others to address the problem of disproportionate minority contact and its impact on Massachusetts' communities of color.
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Racial Justice
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Press Releases
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ACLU of Texas Criticizes Continued Use of Race, Over-Use of Consent Searches in Traffic Stops (02/17/2006)
AUSTIN, TX - A report released today by the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition found that many state law enforcement agencies continue to use consent searches inconsistently and inappropriately, and that consent searches rarely uncover wrongdoing and are more likely to target minorities.
ACLU Mourns Coretta Scott King’s Passing; Praises Life of Activism and Compassion (01/31/2006)
WASHINGTON— The American Civil Liberties Union today mourns the passing of Coretta Scott King, widow of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and a tireless advocate for social justice in her own right. I had the honor of meeting Mrs. King on several occasions commemorating the enormous legacy of Dr. King. She was an extraordinary person in every respect and in her own right.
ACLU and Sentencing Experts Urge Federal Court to Uphold Judges’ Right to Reject 100-to-1 Crack/Powder Ratio (01/20/2006)
SAN FRANCISCO – The American Civil Liberties Union joined a group of renowned criminal law and sentencing experts in filing a friend-of-the-court brief today in a case concerning the right of judges to depart from the controversial 100-to-1 crack/powder cocaine sentencing disparity imposed by Congress. The case, U.S. v. Starks, is being argued in the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.
Following Threat of ACLU of Virginia Lawsuit, Manassas Suspends Ordinance That Limit Right of Family Members to Live Together (01/05/2006)
RICHMOND, VA --Shortly after the the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia announced plans to mount a legal challenge, the City of Manassas suspended enforcement of the new ordinance that prevents aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, great-grandparents, or great-grandchildren from living together as a family unit, the ACLU announced today.
ACLU of Virginia Approves Lawsuit Challenging Manassas Ordinance That Limits Right of Family Members to Live Together (01/04/2006)
RICHMOND, VA -- The America Civil Liberties Union of Virginia today announced that it will support a legal challenge to a City of Manassas ordinance that prevents aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, great-grandparents, or great-grandchildren from living together as family unit.
Judge Rules Government Can Target American Citizens Returning From Religious Conferences as Terrorists (12/22/2005)
NEW YORK - In a case brought by the American Civil Liberties Union and the New York Civil Liberties Union, a federal judge in Buffalo, NY ruled today that the federal government can treat innocent American citizens as terrorists when returning to the United States from religious conferences, say the organizations.
ACLU Applauds Senate Reintroduction Of Racial Profiling Bill, Urges Congress To Finally Pass Comprehensive Legislation Next Year (12/19/2005)
WASHINGTON - Noting that the corrosive practice of racial profiling has continued despite President Bush’s promise in 2001 to "end it in America," the American Civil Liberties Union welcomed the reintroduction of the "End Racial Profiling Act" (ERPA) in the Senate late Friday and urged congressional leaders to co-sponsor this important bill and place its enactment at the top of their 2006 legislative agenda.
ACLU Announces Defense of Indians Targeted in Meth Sting Operation (11/21/2005)
ROME, GA - In collaboration with the local community and a national South Asian organization, the American Civil Liberties Union today announced its defense of three convenience store owners and workers of Indian descent arrested for selling common household items that can be used in the production of methamphetamine. The ACLU promised a thorough investigation into claims that law enforcement selectively targeted the Indian community based on national origin and race.
ACLU Report Uncovers Racial Profiling and Poor Police Work in Rhode Island (11/17/2005)
PROVIDENCE, RI -- In a 30-page report released today, the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island said that a review of the latest statistics on police department traffic stop searches shows continued evidence of racial profiling in the state. The ACLU called the search practices poor police work because, according to the statistics, white drivers are more likely to be found with contraband.
NYCLU, Human Rights Groups Call for Immediate Action on New York Human Rights Legislation (10/26/2005)
NEW YORK, NY -- The New York Civil Liberties Union and leading city human rights organizations came together on the steps of City Hall this afternoon to demand that the city's leadership take action on the Human Rights in Government Operations Audit Law, proposed legislation which would change the way the city currently handles discrimination and other human and civil rights issues.
ACLU Says Stealth Racial Profiling Report Shows Need for Federal Legislation (08/30/2005)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union and several other prominent civil rights groups today called upon Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to investigate the apparent attempt by the Justice Department to bury an unfavorable government report on racial profiling.
Rhode Island Clears Path to Restoring Felon Voting Rights (06/29/2005)
PROVIDENCE, RI -- In response to a strong lobbying effort by a coalition of civil rights organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union, the Rhode Island legislature today approved legislation paving the way for a Constitutional amendment to restore voting rights to probationers and parolees.
South Dakota Schools Discriminating Against Native American Students, Charge ACLU and Tribe (06/23/2005)
WASHINGTON -- In a complaint filed today with the U.S. Department of Education on behalf of 14 Native American families, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Attorney General of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe charge that the public school district in Winner, South Dakota discriminates against Native American children in its disciplinary practices and denies these students their right to equal educational opportunities.
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