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Drug Policy:
The ACLU Drug Law Reform Project is a division of the national ACLU. Our goal is to end punitive drug policies that cause the widespread violation of constitutional and human rights, as well as unprecedented levels of incarceration.


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Drug Policy : Racial Justice : Resources

Don Diva Magazine: Witness or Snitch (10/24/2007)
Don Diva magazine examines the intersection between the "Stop Snitchin'" movement and informant misuse.

Los Angeles Police Department Consent Decree Requirements Regarding Confidential Informants (10/24/2007)
A consent decree ordered upon the Los Angeles Police Department governing proper use of confidential informants and compliance requirements.

California Department of Justice: Jailhouse Informant Policy (10/19/2007)
The California Department of Justice guidelines controlling proper use of information provided by jailhouse informants.

Denver Police Department Operations Manual: Confidential Informants (10/19/2007)
The Denver Police Department's guidelines regarding the proper use of confidential informants.

The Snitch System: How Snitch Testimony Sent Randy Steidl and Other Innocent Americans to Death Row (07/19/2007)
Published by the Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern University School of Law, The Snitch System: How Snitch Testimony Sent Randy Steidl and Other Innocent Americans to Death Row, examines the prevalence and impact of "snitch" testimony in the criminal justice system.

Kathryn Johnston and Police System Failure (07/19/2007)
A briefing paper that examines the systemic failings in law enforcement's use of informants and proposes federal legislative solutions. It was these systemic failures that precipitated the death of Kathryn Johnston, a 92-year-old Atlanta resident killed during a botched police raid of her home.

Snitching: The Institutional and Communal Consequences by Professor Alexandra Natapoff (07/19/2007)
Professor Alexandra Natapoff of Loyola Law School examines the prevalence and impact of informant use.

ACLU of Northern California Letter to the California Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice Regarding Informant Use (09/19/2006)
A letter submitted by the ACLU of Northern California to the California Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice concerning the use of informants in the criminal justice system. The letter offers several recommendations toward successful reform of the informant system.

Los Angeles County Public Defender Informant Testimony Survey (09/19/2006)
A survey of public defenders in Los Angeles County regarding the prevalence and appropriate use of informant testimony.

Amnesty International Letter to California Commission on Fair Administration of Justice Regarding Informant Use (09/13/2006)
A letter sent by Amnesty International to the California Commission on Fair Administration of Justice documenting informant system abuse and proposing recommendations for reform.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation's Compliance with the Attorney General's Investigative Guidelines (09/01/2005)
A report by the U.S. Department of Justice analyzing, in part, the FBI's compliance with guidelines controlling the use of confidential informants.

Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office Legal Policies Manual: Jailhouse Informants (04/01/2005)
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office policy governing the use of jailhouse informants as witnesses.

Center on Wrongful Convictions: The Snitch System (01/01/2005)
A report by the Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern University School of Law documenting how informant testimony has sent innocent Americans to death row.

Stories of ACLU Clients Swept Up in the Hearne Drug Bust of November 2000 (11/01/2002)

Campaign to End Race Discrimination (08/28/2001)

Department of Environmental Protection Policy: Informants, Investigative Sources, Evidence & Information Funds (05/21/2001)
A general order from the Department of Environmental Protection establishing guidelines for the proper use, documentation, and compensation of informants.

Department of Justice Guidelines Regarding the Use of Confidential Informants (01/08/2001)
U.S. Department of Justice guidelines regarding the use of confidential informants in criminal investigations and prosecutions.

Substantial Assistance: An Empirical Yardstick Gauging Equity in Current Federal Policy and Practice (01/01/1998)
A report by the U.S. Sentencing Commission analyzing the practice of substantial assistance under which prison sentences are decreased for offenders who assist in the investigation or prosecution of another crime, such as an informant.

Boston Police Guidelines Regarding the Use of Informants (06/10/1996)
Boston Police Department guidelines concerning the recruitment and record keeping requirements connected with the use of confidential informants.

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