News & Commentary

In the United States, no other criminal justice policies show more racially disparate impacts than that of drug law enforcement. Since the “war on drugs” began, efforts to end punitive drug policies that cause the widespread violation of constitutional and human rights has been needed to address the root cause of unprecedented levels of incarceration. Nationally, the ACLU works on marijuana law reform, the disparate impact of crack versus cocaine sentencing disparities, drug testing laws, and search and seizure policies.

The ACLU works to ensure that the U.S. government complies with universal human rights principles in addition to the U.S. Constitution. Global human rights protection strategies are used to complement existing ACLU advocacy on national security, racial justice and the rights of immigrants, children and women targeted by discrimination.

The death penalty is the ultimate denial of civil liberties. To date, 135 inmates were found to be innocent and released from death row. The ACLU Capital Punishment Project is fighting for the end of the death penalty by supporting moratorium and repeal movements through public education and advocacy. We are engaged in systemic reform of the death penalty process, and case-specific litigation highlighting some of its fundamental flaws.

No one should be deprived of their basic constitutional protections of equality, privacy or free expression because they have HIV or AIDS. The ACLU AIDS Project fights to eliminate discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS in all aspects of society, including employment, housing and public accommodations. We also work to ensure that people can make informed decisions about HIV testing and treatment, and to challenge government responses to HIV that reflect prejudice rather than scientific principles.

Parents are the best advocates for the quality of their children’s education. The new comprehensive sexuality education law has provisions for parents to ask questions about sex ed classes, curriculum and teachers at their school. The attached questions are for parents to ask their children’s school leadership about how they are complying with the new, higher standards for comprehensive sexuality education.

Just because youth might not yet have the right to vote or have other privileges of legally recognized adulthood, all young people still have basic, constitutionally protected rights and freedoms. The ACLU dedicates resources to defending youth and educating students about their rights. Youth activists are also involved with the ACLU on issues related to free speech, LGBTQ, drug policy, sex education and health, as well as religious freedom.

Most recently, the ACLU of Wisconsin supported state budget policy provisions that included contraceptive equity (requiring all insurance plans to provide contraception in their prescription drug coverage), prescription protection (requiring all pharmacies to have someone on staff to dispense FDA-approved contraception in a timely manner for any customer with a valid prescription), and including men among those eligible for federal family planning. The ACLU of Wisconsin supported these provisions which advance equal access to important reproductive health care for men and women in Wisconsin.

Abuse by police continues to be a major civil liberties problem in the U.S., particularly for the poor and for people of color.  Everyone needs and deserves effective and humane law enforcement in schools, communities and courtrooms. The ACLU works to address systemic problems in police practices and to educate Americans about their rights when interacting with law enforcement.

The ACLU has established the Technology and Liberty program which monitors the interplay between cutting-edge technology and civil liberties, actively promoting responsible uses of technology that enhance privacy and freedom, while opposing those that undermine our freedoms and move us closer to a surveillance society. While the issues of privacy rights and rapidly expanding technological innovations are very broad, the ACLU addresses the need for privacy protections in internet use, medical records and for workers, consumers and students. We also work to address ethics in biological technologies and scientific freedom. And the ACLU is historically best known for confronting government surveillance and wiretapping.