Week of Action: Invest in Public Education Not Prison Cultivation
Join us in a week of action to challenge the “school-to-prison pipeline” in Utah.
Peace Officer: A Film About How We Don't Have Peace Officers Anymore
“I witnessed my son-in-law killed by the SWAT team I founded.”- former Davis County Sherriff William “Dub” Lawrence.
How the Failing Public Defense System is Hurting Public Defenders
In a state with such a constitutionally-deficient public defender system, it is tempting to believe that the broken system in Utah, detailed in ACLU’s report “Failing Gideon,” is experiencing something different than other states.
Why Police Might Want to Listen to Community Stories About Police Violence
On September 5, families, friends and supporters of people impacted by law enforcement excessive use of force will gather to share stories at “No More Tears: Stories of Police Violence.”
YES ON SIX: Demand that the Sixth Amendment be realized in Utah!
Tell your state legislator how inadequate legal counsel has failed you or someone you know, who couldn’t afford her or his own private attorney.
We Stand with Planned Parenthood
Without Planned Parenthood, millions of women and families in low-income communities would not have the healthcare they need. TAKE ACTION: Sign this petition to protect women’s reproductive decisions.
Why Would Anyone Plead Guilty, If They Are Innocent?
This blog post was written by Alexandria Sadler (Summer Intern 2015), a recent graduate of the University of Utah who will be attending law school this fall in California.
Building a New Prison Could Reduce Utah's Rampant Use of Barbaric "Restrictive Housing"
In practice, “solitary confinement” isn’t exactly what you see in movies: the dirt-smeared man alone in a dark cell, with a rat for company and a tiny window his only connection to the outside world.
Order signed! Lucy got her birth certificate with both moms listed!
All Utah same sex parents who qualify can be listed on birth certificates.
The Bad News Behind Salt Lake Co's Work to Reduce Pay Gaps Between Prosecutors & Public Defenders
Last week, the Salt Lake County Council discussed ways in which the county can eliminate pay gaps between public defenders and county prosecutors. This is very good news.
VICTORY! Court Tells Utah: Put BOTH Mothers on Birth Certificate...NOW.
On July 15, just two-and-a-half weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark ruling on same-sex marriage, LOVE WON AGAIN in Utah!
As Our Addiction to Incarceration Gets Worse, More Utahns Will Struggle to Find a Place to Live
What does it mean, to “pay your debt to society” after committing a crime?
June 26th: A Historic Day for Equality
Today the Court determined our constitutional guarantees of due process and equal protection prohibit states from excluding same-sex couples from marriage.
Love Wins!
“Words cannot express the happiness we feel in response to the Supreme Court Decision.” ACLU of Utah Plaintiffs Mrs. & Mrs. Roe
ACLU Action on Law Enforcement Abuse of Power
Last Saturday, a committed community activists came together in a sunny multi-purpose room to discuss a not-so-sunny subject: the killing of community members by law enforcement officers.
You may have the RIGHT to an attorney...but in Utah, does it matter?
"Any adult Utahn who watched any television growing up probably knows these words by heart: ‘You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you.’"
Do We NEED to Move the Prison? Wrong Question.
So, if you haven’t heard the news, the ACLU of Utah is supportive of the prison relocation. Well, not EXACTLY.
Pot, People and Prison Relocation: Updates from the Criminal Justice World
The ACLU of Utah works on criminal justice issues all up and down what we call the "criminal justice pipeline" - everything from law enforcement tactics and discipline in school to prison/jail conditions and felon discrimination. That's a lot of work. And it's also a lot of news to pass along to our supporters, allies and partners. So here goes!
Medical Cannabis: It's time, Utah.
Last year, Sen. Mark Madsen’s bill to legalize the use of medical cannabis nearly passed through the Utah Senate – and he has every intention of trying again in 2016. The ACLU of Utah agrees that NOW is the time to allow legal access to medical cannabis to people who are ill and wish to use this particular drug regimen if works for them.
Prison Relocation "Open Houses" for the Public
The Prison Relocation Commission recently announced a series of "Open Houses" in various locations for members of the public to learn more, and ask questions, about the relocation of the primary Utah State Prison facility currently in Draper, Utah.
