Incarceration

Resources

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.
Published: 
Monday, July 25, 2016
A ruling by the Washington Supreme Court has undercut the effectiveness of a law intended to maintain the bonds between incarcerated parents and their children. The Legislature needs to act to make sure the law can still make a difference in the lives of children.
Published: 
Monday, June 22, 2015
In King County, the cost of keeping an inmate in jail is $192 a day, which translates into $70,000 annually. This means, the cost of holding a single individual in jail for a year greatly exceeds the $60,000 median household income of the citizens in King County who are paying to maintain the jail.   
Published: 
Monday, April 13, 2015
No one should be locked up because they don’t have the money to buy their freedom. But this is the plight of countless men and women currently imprisoned in our immigration detention system.
News Release, Published: 
Friday, April 3, 2015
A federal judge has rebuked the State of Washington and ordered it to provide competency services speedily to people with mental illness in jails. The ruling came in a suit on behalf of incarcerated pre-trial detainees who have sat for weeks and months awaiting court-ordered services.
Published: 
Monday, March 23, 2015
How do you turn $41 into over $2,000?  Courts across Washington and throughout the U.S. have figured out how to turn small fines for routine traffic violations and other non-violent infractions into major debts for individuals without the means to pay.  HBO’s “Last Week Tonight” with John Oliver recently examined this subject, noting the ways in which differences in race and income levels are creating two justice systems: one for the rich and one for the poor.
News Release, Published: 
Monday, March 16, 2015
Under state law, whenever there is reason to doubt that individuals with mental disabilities is competent to stand trial, the court must order an evaluation by one of the state mental hospitals to determine competency and treat these individuals.  If competency is restored, the criminal case may proceed; if it is not restored, the criminal charges are dismissed.
Published: 
Thursday, March 12, 2015
The Washington Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that courts must take into consideration a defendant’s ability to pay before imposing discretionary legal financial obligations (LFOs). The ruling represents a significant step towards reforming a system that traps people in a cycle of poverty and incarceration.
News Release, Published: 
Friday, November 7, 2014
Alison Holcomb, ACLU-WA criminal justice director, has been tapped to serve as the national director of the ACLU Campaign to End Mass Incarceration. Bolstered by a $50 million grant from the Open Society Foundations, the campaign seeks to reform state-level criminal justice policies that have increased incarceration rates dramatically during a period of declining crime and have exacerbated racial disparities.

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