Incarceration

Resources

First Amendment Rights at Prison Upheld

Published: 
Friday, December 20, 2013
The ACLU of Washington recently succeeded in advocacy that reaffirmed The Militant’s First Amendment right to inform and share its opinions with incarcerated individuals.
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Challenging Unjust Mandatory Detention of Immigrants

Published: 
Monday, November 4, 2013
The ACLU and other advocates for immigrant rights are challenging the lack of due process for individuals who are subject to mandatory detention while the government brings deportation cases against them for past crimes. These people are often longtime legal residents, rehabilitated and leading productive lives in their communities. It is unlawful and unjust for the government to keep them locked up with no opportunity to prove eligibility for release or bond.
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RAND Drug Policy Research Center Founder Assesses Three Decades of U.S. War on Drugs

Published: 
Thursday, October 3, 2013
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ACLU Urges Court to Protect Tenants from Blacklisting

Published: 
Friday, August 16, 2013
A Washington family discovered that even if you win a court case, you can still lose. The ACLU is supporting efforts to do something about the situation.
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Religious Freedom Is for All Americans

Published: 
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
As the final week of Ramadan approaches, it is important to remember that freedom of religion is for all Americans – including those who are incarcerated. And that the ACLU is committed to defending the civil liberties of all Americans
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Sentenced to Jail for Being Poor: Modern-day Debtor’s Prisons

Published: 
Friday, May 31, 2013
When people are convicted of a crime, they expect to be sentenced to jail time or probation.  But there are other long-lasting consequences – and these can be unfair and counter-productive.
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Hearing Educated Legislators about Failings of Death Penalty

Published: 
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Earlier this March, Washington’s House Judiciary Committee held a public hearing on HB 1504, legislation that would replace the death penalty with life in prison without the possibility of parole.
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Democracy at Work in Shelters and Food Banks

Published: 
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Marginalized people need to know that they have the right to vote. To that end, I was recently one of a small group of thoughtful, committed Seattle University law students who helped people in local homeless shelters and food banks participate in the democratic process.
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Settlement Protects Religious Freedom for Inmates in Pierce County Jail

News Release, Published: 
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
The Pierce County Jail is adopting new policies to protect the religious freedom of inmates, according to a settlement agreement announced today by the ACLU of Washington and the Public Interest Law Group, PLLC (PILG).  The settlement is a result of a lawsuit that challenged jail officials’ failure to accommodate the religious needs of Muslim inmates and their operation of a program that granted extra benefits and services to Christian inmates. The ACLU-WA and PILG filed the suit (Tarrer v. Pierce County) in U.S. District Court in Tacoma in September 2010 on behalf of inmates at the jail.
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Help Us Let People Know They Are Eligible to Vote

Published: 
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Changing the law is just Step One in extending legal rights. Step Two is making sure people know what their legal rights are, so that – and here’s Step Three – they can actually exercise those rights.
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