aclu-pa
Report: Unaffordable cash bail is ‘a statewide crisis’ in Pa. | Monday Morning Coffee
Local magisterial district justices 'routinely' set bail that people can't afford, triggering a 'cascade of harmful consequences.'
The Pa. Senate’s sham election review threatens democracy | Opinion
The bottom line is that Sen. Doug Mastriano’s escapade will cost Pa. counties millions of dollars to comply and then to clean up the mess.
It’s far past time for Pa. lawmakers to pass comprehensive non-discrimination legislation | Opinion
We all deserve the chance to thrive in an environment where we have the safety and security to flourish in our identity.
Report: Pa. Legislature a ‘bipartisan criminal offense factory’ that drives up costs, doesn’t fix crime | Wednesday Morning Coffee
"Ending Pennsylvania’s public policy of mass incarceration begins with the Legislature," the report by the ACLU-PA concludes.
Advocates launch hunger strike to force Wolf to release inmates to slow COVID spread
In a May 28 letter, Free People Strike called on Wolf to release 1,800 individuals eligible for release under an April 10 reprieve order Wolf signed to help aid the Department of Corrections in qualifying individuals for transfer or home confinement amid COVID-19 outbreaks in prisons.
The COVID-19 pandemic underscores the urgency of ending cash bail | Opinion
The COVID-19 pandemic exposes the deep flaws in Pennsylvania’s broken cash bail system, both in Philadelphia and across the commonwealth.
Gov. Wolf has the power to avert a public health disaster in Pa.’s prisons | Opinion
Gov. Tom Wolf has the ability to release more people from the state prisons right now by using his constitutionally enshrined power of reprieve.
Federal judge in Harrisburg rules ICE must release people at high risk for COVID-19
The decision by U.S. District Judge John E. Jones comes just a day after criminal justice advocates in Philadelphia coordinated a drive-by protest, calling for the release of inmates due to COVID-19 concerns.
Philly Democrat wants a $500 fine for sending nude photos without consent
On Friday, Rep. Mary Isacson, D-Philadelphia, held a House Democratic Policy Committee hearing on her proposal to criminalize sharing unsolicited nude images.
ACLU court settlement means Pa. will end solitary confinement on death row
A Corrections Department spokeswoman said the agreement announced Monday "formally memorializes" reforms that it has has been making over the last several years.
This is why the ACLU-PA supports legislation reforming our election laws | Opinion
No one will lose the right to vote because of the elimination of straight party voting. The bill expands access to voting.
Pennsylvania’s crimes code is packed with redundant, harmful charges, ACLU says in new report
In the past four decades, the number of possible charges nearly quintupled in number — a trend that’s helped Pennsylvania’s prison populations skyrocket.