Home : Criminal Justice

U.S. Court of Appeals Affirms Unconstitutionality of Connecticut's Sex Offender Website Law (10/19/2001)
HARTFORD -- The Connecticut Civil Liberties Union today applauded an appeals court decision saying that the state's sex offender registry law "fails to accommodate the constitutional rights" of persons formerly convicted of a wide range of sexual offenses because they had not been given the chance to show they were not a threat to the community.

Free Congress, ACLU: Congress Should Realize 'Sneak and Peek' Is Not Child's Play (10/19/2001)
WASHINGTON -- In a letter sent today to congressional conferees on the anti-terrorism legislation, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Free Congress Foundation and 17 other organizations from across the political spectrum today urged that "Sneak and Peek" provision be deleted because it undermines the Fourth Amendment protection from unreasonable searches and seizures. 

ACLU's National Prison Project Convenes Conference on Ending Prisoner Rape (10/19/2001)
WASHINGTON, D.C.-Although federal courts have deemed prisoner rape constitutionally unacceptable, sexual abuse of inmates continues to be a serious and largely ignored problem in U.S. prisons and jails. A conference convened this weekend by the American Civil Liberties Union's National Prison Project, titled, ""Not Part of the Penalty: Ending Prison Rape,"" will seek to shed light on this disturbing trend. 

ACLU Joins Diverse, Right-Left Coalition To Highlight Privacy Violations in Drug War (09/10/2001)
WASHINGTON -- The ongoing and misguided "War on Drugs" in this country has claimed a number of unintended casualties, not least of which is the right to privacy of many law-abiding American citizens. The American Civil Liberties Union is encouraged that so many advocacy groups from across the ideological spectrum have joined together to urge the Senate to address this issue. We ask Senators to question John Walters, the Administration's drug czar nominee, about how the "War on Drugs" has diminished our privacy. 

CA Law Aimed at Gang Violence is Unconstitutional, ACLU and Youth Rights Groups Argue (09/06/2001)
SAN FRANCISCO - The American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, Southern California, and San Diego in coalition with other voter and youth advocacy groups today filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the California Supreme Court challenging California's Proposition 21, the "Gang Violence and Juvenile Crime Prevention Act."

ACLU of PA Criticizes Legislation Expanding Police Power to Arrest and Detain Individuals Without ID (09/04/2001)
PHILADELPHIA--The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania today criticized proposed legislation that would dramatically expand the authority of the police to arrest and detain individuals who do not provide police officers with satisfactory identification. 

ACLU Urges Defeat of 'Two Strikes' Automatic Sentencing Law, Calls Measure Overbroad, Unfair and Unnecessary (07/31/2001)
WASHINGTON -- The American Civil Liberties Union today urged Congress to defeat a controversial measure that would impose an automatic life sentence for individuals convicted twice of a broad range of sex offenses involving minors. 

ACLU Urges Defeat of 'Two Strikes' Automatic Sentencing Law, Calls Measure Overbroad, Unfair and Unnecessary (07/31/2001)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today urged Congress to defeat a controversial measure that would impose an automatic life sentence for individuals convicted twice of a broad range of sex offenses involving minors. 

NJ's Highest Court Places Limits on Use of Force in Taking Blood Samples from DWI Suspects (07/26/2001)
NEWARK, NJ--In an important decision affecting the rights of people under arrest, the New Jersey Supreme Court today placed limits on the police's use of physical force in extracting blood alcohol evidence from drunk-driving suspects. 

New Poll Shows Surprisingly Forgiving Attitude Toward Crime and Punishment: Most Americans Don't Want to Throw Away the Key (07/19/2001)
WASHINGTON - A new poll commissioned by the American Civil Liberties Union released today reveals a strong dissatisfaction with the current state of the criminal justice system in America and a growing public confidence in rehabilitation and alternative punishments for non-violent offenders. 

ACLU Finds Serious Flaws in Ashcroft Death Penalty Bias Report, Calls for Independent Review of Federal System (06/14/2001)
WASHINGTON -- The American Civil Liberties Union said today that it has found serious substantive flaws in last week's controversial report from Attorney General John Ashcroft about racial and geographic bias in the federal death penalty system.

ACLU Responds to the Execution of Timothy McVeigh (06/11/2001)
WASHINGTON--The execution of Timothy McVeigh today only strengthens our resolve in calling for a moratorium on federal executions in the United States. 

Citing Report, ACLU and NACDL Say Defense of Poor Is in Jeopardy in Venango County, PA (06/07/2001)
PITTSBURGH--A nationally recognized expert's review of the Venango County Public Defender Program reveals a system in crisis that is failing to provide adequate counsel to the poor, the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Association for Criminal Defense Lawyers said today.