Press Releases
about Prisoners' Rights
Mar 24, 2020
ACLU-CT Reaction to First Positive COVID-19 Test of a Connecticut Department of Correction Worker
HARTFORD, Conn. – The Connecticut Department of Correction (DOC) last night announced that an employee of Garner Correctional Institution tested positive for COVID-19. The follow...
Issue Areas:
Prisoners' Rights
Mar 19, 2020
ACLU of Maine Calls on Criminal Justice System Actors to Reduce Incarcerated Populations, Take Other Steps to Reduce Spread of COVID-19
PORTLAND, Maine – The ACLU of Maine last night urged dozens of top-level officials within the criminal legal system to take steps to reduce the number of people incarcerated in M...
Issue Areas:
Prisoners' Rights
Smart Justice
Mar 18, 2020
ACLU of Georgia Sends Open Letter to All Public Officials with Responsibility for dealing with COVID-19 in the Criminal Legal System
ATLANTA – The ACLU of Georgia published an open letter to all public officials with responsibility for dealing with COVID-19 in the criminal legal system. The letter specifies ac...
Issue Areas:
Prisoners' Rights
Smart Justice
Mar 18, 2020
The ACLU of Montana Offers Support to State Officials to Safeguard People in the Criminal Justice System from COVID-19
MISSOULA, Mont. - The ACLU of Montana contacted Governor Bullock and Montana Department of Corrections Director Michael last week urging them to develop plans to protect some of Mo...
Issue Areas:
Prisoners' Rights
Smart Justice
Mar 18, 2020
ACLU of Georgia: People in Jail Cannot Protect Themselves Against COVID-19
Urges State and Local Officials to Protect People in Prisons and Jails , Recommends Releasing Those with Low-Level Offenses and Those Incarcerated Awaiting Trial Because of an Inability to Pay Bail
Issue Areas:
Prisoners' Rights
Mar 18, 2020
ACLU Demands the Release from Prisons and Jails of Communities Vulnerable to COVID-19
ACLU is Additionally Calling for the Release of People Currently in Pretrial Detention Because of Cash Bail to Prevent a Public Health Crisis
Issue Areas:
Prisoners' Rights
Smart Justice
About the ACLU
The American Civil Liberties Union has media staff available to handle inquiries from journalists on national issues affecting civil liberties, including questions on legislative matters that touch on civil liberties and constitutional freedoms and inquiries related to ACLU lawsuits.
To schedule an interview with an ACLU expert, email media@aclu.org.
Contact an ACLU Affiliate
The ACLU has 54 local offices across the U.S. working with attorneys and activists in their communities to shape better policies and spread awareness about their states' priority civil rights issues.
Local inquiries should be directed to the appropriate ACLU state affiliate.
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News & CommentaryMay 2026
Prisoners' Rights
Juvenile Justice
Children Describe 'despair, Loneliness, And Boredom' At Colorado Juvenile Detention Centers. Explore News & Commentary.Children Describe 'Despair, Loneliness, and Boredom' at Colorado Juvenile Detention Centers
ACLU class-action lawsuit urges state of Colorado to release children from jails to community-based settings while awaiting decisions in their juvenile delinquency cases. Kids with disabilities and foster children are particularly vulnerable. -
New Mexico Supreme CourtJan 2026
Prisoners' Rights
Franklin V. Martinez. Explore Case.Franklin v. Martinez
This case raises the question whether New Mexico courts should retire their current, federal-centric approach to interpreting the New Mexico Constitution—a method known as the “interstitial approach”—and embrace an independent approach that would allow them to more readily diverge from federal courts in light of New Mexico’s own law, history, and values. The Court’s decision could have major implications for New Mexicans’ ability to vindicate their state constitutional rights. -
News & CommentaryNov 2025
Prisoners' Rights
+2 Issues
Gary Tyler Spent 42 Years In Prison For A Crime He Didn't Commit. Racism Put Him There.. Explore News & Commentary.Gary Tyler Spent 42 Years in Prison for a Crime He Didn't Commit. Racism Put Him There.
Tyler’s case shows how bias, fear, and discrimination drive wrongful convictions — and why confronting racial injustice in the legal system remains urgent today. -
News & CommentaryOct 2025
Prisoners' Rights
+2 Issues
Biometric Bracelets For Prisoners. Explore News & Commentary.Biometric bracelets for prisoners
Invading privacy as well as "barking up the wrong tree"