News & Commentary

On this Giving Tuesday, we at the ACLU of Virginia would like to say thank you. Thank you to each of our donors, members, partners, clients, and supporters. Thank you for your bravery, trust, and generosity. Each of you contributes to the impact we make and the forward progress we have created.

Being home with your loved ones during the holiday season should not be a privilege if you haven’t been convicted of a crime. Being treated with dignity and respect by the criminal legal system also should not be a privilege.

In his proclamation establishing Women’s Equality Day in 1973, President Richard Nixon stated: “The struggle for women’s suffrage, however, was only the first step toward full and equal participation of women in our Nation’s life … And yet, much still remains to be done.” Sadly, these words remain true today.

While institutional slavery may have ended in the United States only 154 years ago, African Americans continue to be targeted by systematic racism in our criminal justice system. Jim Crow laws, established in the late 19th and 20th centuries after slavery was abolished to enforce segregation and rac

Information on the inhumane practice of solitary confinement in state prisons is the Virginia Department of Corrections’ (VDOC) most closely guarded secret, and one that is actually driving people insane.

Regardless of what happens this session, reforms that will make Virginia a more just and fair place are gaining popularity. It is time for policies that eliminate racial disparities, take care of our mentally ill, and promote justice based on the facts of the case - not the size of your wallet.

Understanding that whole person and understanding her story helps in re-analyzing what is just and fair regarding if a person is in fact criminally-minded and what their punishment should be. Changing the mindset must start here, if we are to truly make an impact.

We live in trying times, a time when it can be hard to bear your own weight, much less take on the weight of another. This is why the ACLU of Virginia is so grateful to all of the participants, members and organizers that came together on a rainy Saturday afternoon to address mass incarceration.

This week, the ACLU of Virginia and the Roderick and Solange MacArthur Justice Center filed a lawsuit in federal court on behalf of Mr. Nicolas Reyes.