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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

Frequently Asked Questions About Voting Restoration in Washington

Document, Published: 
Tuesday, September 12, 2017
The 2009 Washington Legislature passed a new law that restores the right to vote automatically to people with felony convictions when they have completed their time in prison and have served any required community custody supervised by the State Department of Corrections (DOC).
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Washington Joins Nationwide Campaign for Pretrial Reform

News Release, Published: 
Thursday, June 22, 2017
Washington has joined the 3DaysCount initiative that highlights the harmful consequences that result when people who can’t afford to pay bail are forced to await their trial behind bars, and develops commonsense solutions.
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Is My Client Eligible to Vacate an Adult Criminal Conviction?

Document, Published: 
Friday, May 5, 2017
Many people with a criminal record want to “expunge” or “clear” their criminal histories. While Washington law does not permit the destruction of adult, conviction records, some people may be eligible to “vacate” a conviction record, which allows them to legally claim that they were never convicted.
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New ACLU Report Shows Police in Schools Undermine the Education of Washington’s Kids

News Release, Published: 
Monday, April 24, 2017
Students, Not Suspects Highlights How School Policing Funnels Youth into School-to-Prison Pipeline
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Opening a can of fart spray. Dumping chocolate milk on a classmate. When police are in schools, youthful misbehavior can suddenly become a crime

Published: 
Monday, April 24, 2017
A new ACLU report exposes how police in Washington's schools funnel youth into the school-to-prison pipeline.
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Teens who engage in “sexting” should not be prosecuted as sex offenders

Published: 
Friday, April 14, 2017
The ACLU of Washington has filed a friend of the court brief in State of Washington v. E.G. asking the state court of appeals to reverse the trial court decision and dismiss E.G.’s conviction. The purpose of Washington’s child pornography law is to prevent minors from being sexually exploited or abused for someone else’s personal gratification or commercial gain, not to criminalize young people for experimenting with their sexuality. The purpose of Washington’s child pornography law is not to criminalize young people for experimenting with their sexuality.
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