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Criminal Justice

The Bill of Rights protects us against suspicionless searches and seizures. It guarantees due process to individuals who are accused of crimes and humane treatment to those who are incarcerated. The ACLU works to ensure that our criminal justice system indeed is just.
Stop the school to prison pipeline
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Washington Needs Bail Reform: Download No Money, No Freedom
Driven to Fail: Exposing the costs & ineffectiveness of Washington's most commonly charged crime
The death penalty is arbitrary, unfair, and racially biased. The ACLU of Washington argued before the Washington Supreme Court to end it.

Resources

Fines Paid by the State of Washington for Failure to Comply with Court Orders Given to Programs that Keep People with Mental Illness out of Jail

News Release, Published: 
Wednesday, March 22, 2017
The State of Washington has paid over $12 million dollars in fines for failing to comply with a federal court’s order regarding timely provision of mental health services to those waiting for jail and for such services. The State of WA fined $12 million failing to comply with a federal court’s order regarding timely provision of mental health services to those waiting for jail.
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Report Exposes Huge Costs and Ineffectiveness of Washington’s Most Commonly Charged Crime - Driving While License Suspended – Third Degree (DWLS III)

News Release, Published: 
Friday, February 24, 2017
Taxpayers spent $1,316,203,624 on DWLS III enforcement between 1994 and 2015
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New report shows that by ending debtors’ prisons, lawmakers could boost the health of thousands in Washington

Published: 
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
When it comes to how healthy you are, money matters— a lot.
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Court Grants Final Approval Of The Settlement In Benton County Debtors’ Prison Lawsuit

Published: 
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
On October 6, 2016, the Yakima County Superior Court granted preliminary approval to a class action settlement reached in Fuentes v. Benton County, a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the county’s system for collecting court-imposed debts.
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Youth Matters in Sentencing

Published: 
Tuesday, September 27, 2016
The ACLU of Washington recently filed friend of the court briefs in three cases urging the Washington Supreme Court to align the law with developments in brain science.
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State Supreme Court Rules Courts Cannot Demand LFOs from People Eking out a Living on Government Benefits

Published: 
Thursday, September 22, 2016
The Washington Supreme Court has reversed a lower court order that sought to collect discretionary legal financial obligations (LFOs, or court-imposed fees) from an indigent woman struggling to meet her basic living needs on social security disability payments.
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No Money, No Freedom: The Need for Bail Reform

Document, Published: 
Friday, September 16, 2016
The ACLU-WA has issued a position paper examining the many harms of jailing of people in Washington before trial when they are unable to pay money bail, and recommending principles for reform.
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No Money, No Freedom: ACLU Says Washington’s Bail System Is Fundamentally Unfair, Calls for Reform

News Release, Published: 
Thursday, September 15, 2016
The ACLU-WA has issued a position paper examining the many harms of jailing of people in Washington  before trial when they are unable to pay money bail, and recommending principles for reform.
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