{"id":125355,"date":"2012-10-24T13:40:58","date_gmt":"2012-10-24T17:40:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.aclu.org\/documents\/aclu-criminal-law-reform-project"},"modified":"2025-05-29T10:11:15","modified_gmt":"2025-05-29T14:11:15","slug":"aclu-criminal-law-reform-project","status":"publish","type":"document","link":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/documents\/aclu-criminal-law-reform-project","title":{"rendered":"ACLU Criminal Law Reform Project"},"menu_order":0,"template":"","foia_agency":[],"foia_document_type":[],"foia_legal_authority":[],"foia_district":[],"foia_records_collected":[],"foia_fbi_mappings":[],"class_list":["post-125355","document","type-document","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"subtitle":"","date":"20121024","document_type":"other","foia_collection":null,"release_date":null,"description":"<span class=\"TextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\">The Criminal Law Reform Project <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\">adv<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\">ocates<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\"> for<\/span> <span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\">the constitutional and <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\">civil rights <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\">of <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\">those<\/span> <span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\">impacted<\/span> <span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\">by <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\">criminal legal systems<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\">.<\/span> <span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\">We <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\">use<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\"> litigation and advocacy to <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\">confront<\/span> <span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\">systemic <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\">government conduct that fuels the carceral state and police abuse<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\">, and <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\">oppresses people <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\">based on<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\"> race, class, and other characteristics<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\">. <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\">CLRP does this work<\/span> <span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\">because <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\">everyone<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\"> suspected, accused, or convicted of <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\">a <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\">crime deserve<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\">s<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\"> dignity, fairness, and an opportunity to thrive. <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\">Ultimately, <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\">w<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\">e<\/span> <span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\">seek<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\"> to<\/span> <span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\">shift power <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\">to <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\">under resourced<\/span> <span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\">communities <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\">and to elevate <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\">approaches to justice and safety that <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\">advance<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\"> fundamental rights <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\">for all<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW202039733 BCX0\">.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW202039733 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe Project\u2019s current priorities are: creating robust statewide indigent defense systems to ensure that people charged with a crime have access to effective assistance of counsel; ending unnecessary and unjust pretrial detention through bail reform and other abusive pretrial practices; reforming unconstitutional and racially biased police practices; challenging prosecutorial abuses of power that result in or enable regressive and unconstitutional practices; reforming our nation\u2019s punitive drug policies, which have failed to achieve public safety and health while eroding constitutional rights and criminalizing unprecedented numbers of people, particularly people of color; and reclaiming equal protection of the laws and guaranteeing substantive and procedural due process protections at each stage of the arrest-to-sentencing process of criminal cases. CLRP works closely with the ACLU\u2019s Campaign for Smart Justice, which collaborates with partners to build a movement for social change, promote racial justice, and win state-based reforms needed to cut the size of our nation\u2019s incarcerated population by 50 percent.\r\n\r\nThe Project\u2019s legal strategies are built on the idea that fighting for civil rights means more than just persuading judges. It means partnering with impacted people and communities and changing hearts and minds. We work on the frontlines with communities most affected by overincarceration to integrate litigation with innovative public education campaigns and to develop tools to help these communities demand justice.\r\n\r\nThe Project has an unparalleled track record, having successfully litigated issues ranging from racial profiling in drug law enforcement to ending wealth-based pretrial detention to challenging prosecutorial abuses of power to protecting medical marijuana users from prosecution. We will continue that tradition of success, combining litigation, education, and community empowerment to achieve humane, racially just, and sensible policies that respect basic human rights and the liberties enshrined in our nation\u2019s Constitution.\r\n\r\n<strong>Staff of the Criminal Law Reform Project<\/strong>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/news\/by\/brandon-buskey\/\">Brandon Buskey<\/a>, Director\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/news\/by\/emma-andersson\/\">Emma Andersson<\/a>, Deputy Director\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/bio\/jenn-rolnick-borchetta\">Jenn Rolnick Borchetta<\/a>, Deputy Project Director on Policing\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/news\/by\/molly-kovel\">Molly Kovel<\/a>, Senior Staff Attorney\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/news\/by\/trisha-trigilio\/\">Trisha Trigilio<\/a>, Senior Staff Attorney\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/news\/by\/andrea-woods\/\">Andrea Woods<\/a>, Staff Attorney\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/bio\/julian-clark\">Julian Clark<\/a>, Staff Attorney\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/bio\/ashika-verriest\">Ashika Verriest<\/a>, Senior Staff Attorney\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/news\/by\/allison-frankel\/\">Allison Frankel<\/a>, Staff Attorney\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/bio\/clio-gates\">Clio Gates<\/a>, Legal Administrative Assistant\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/bio\/ilyana-benjelloun\">Ilyana Benjelloun<\/a>, Paralegal","pdf":"","drupal_node_id":"26568","related_affiliates":"","related_issues":[46391,46575,46735],"related_content_documents":"","related_documents":"","foia_tags":{"foia_agency":false,"foia_document_type":false,"foia_legal_authority":false,"foia_records_collected":false,"foia_district":false,"foia_fbi_mapping":false}},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>American Civil Liberties Union<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Criminal Law Reform Project advocates for the constitutional and civil rights of those impacted by criminal legal systems. We use litigation and advocacy to confront systemic government conduct that fuels the carceral state and police abuse, and oppresses people based on race, class, and other characteristics. CLRP does this work because everyone suspected, accused, or convicted of a crime deserves dignity, fairness, and an opportunity to thrive. Ultimately, we seek to shift power to under resourced communities and to elevate approaches to justice and safety that advance fundamental rights for all.\u00a0  The Project\u2019s current priorities are: creating robust statewide indigent defense systems to ensure that people charged with a crime have access to effective assistance of counsel; ending unnecessary and unjust pretrial detention through bail reform and other abusive pretrial practices; reforming unconstitutional and racially biased police practices; challenging prosecutorial abuses of power that result in or enable regressive and unconstitutional practices; reforming our nation\u2019s punitive drug policies, which have failed to achieve public safety and health while eroding constitutional rights and criminalizing unprecedented numbers of people, particularly people of color; and reclaiming equal protection of the laws and guaranteeing substantive and procedural due process protections at each stage of the arrest-to-sentencing process of criminal cases. CLRP works closely with the ACLU\u2019s Campaign for Smart Justice, which collaborates with partners to build a movement for social change, promote racial justice, and win state-based reforms needed to cut the size of our nation\u2019s incarcerated population by 50 percent.  The Project\u2019s legal strategies are built on the idea that fighting for civil rights means more than just persuading judges. It means partnering with impacted people and communities and changing hearts and minds. We work on the frontlines with communities most affected by overincarceration to integrate litigation with innovative public education campaigns and to develop tools to help these communities demand justice.  The Project has an unparalleled track record, having successfully litigated issues ranging from racial profiling in drug law enforcement to ending wealth-based pretrial detention to challenging prosecutorial abuses of power to protecting medical marijuana users from prosecution. We will continue that tradition of success, combining litigation, education, and community empowerment to achieve humane, racially just, and sensible policies that respect basic human rights and the liberties enshrined in our nation\u2019s Constitution.  Staff of the Criminal Law Reform Project  Brandon Buskey, Director Emma Andersson, Deputy Director Jenn Rolnick Borchetta, Deputy Project Director on Policing Molly Kovel, Senior Staff Attorney Trisha Trigilio, Senior Staff Attorney Andrea Woods, Staff Attorney Julian Clark, Staff Attorney Ashika Verriest, Senior Staff Attorney Allison Frankel, Staff Attorney Clio Gates, Legal Administrative Assistant Ilyana Benjelloun, Paralegal\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"ACLU Criminal Law Reform Project | American Civil Liberties Union\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Criminal Law Reform Project advocates for the constitutional and civil rights of those impacted by criminal legal systems. We use litigation and advocacy to confront systemic government conduct that fuels the carceral state and police abuse, and oppresses people based on race, class, and other characteristics. CLRP does this work because everyone suspected, accused, or convicted of a crime deserves dignity, fairness, and an opportunity to thrive. Ultimately, we seek to shift power to under resourced communities and to elevate approaches to justice and safety that advance fundamental rights for all.\u00a0  The Project\u2019s current priorities are: creating robust statewide indigent defense systems to ensure that people charged with a crime have access to effective assistance of counsel; ending unnecessary and unjust pretrial detention through bail reform and other abusive pretrial practices; reforming unconstitutional and racially biased police practices; challenging prosecutorial abuses of power that result in or enable regressive and unconstitutional practices; reforming our nation\u2019s punitive drug policies, which have failed to achieve public safety and health while eroding constitutional rights and criminalizing unprecedented numbers of people, particularly people of color; and reclaiming equal protection of the laws and guaranteeing substantive and procedural due process protections at each stage of the arrest-to-sentencing process of criminal cases. CLRP works closely with the ACLU\u2019s Campaign for Smart Justice, which collaborates with partners to build a movement for social change, promote racial justice, and win state-based reforms needed to cut the size of our nation\u2019s incarcerated population by 50 percent.  The Project\u2019s legal strategies are built on the idea that fighting for civil rights means more than just persuading judges. It means partnering with impacted people and communities and changing hearts and minds. We work on the frontlines with communities most affected by overincarceration to integrate litigation with innovative public education campaigns and to develop tools to help these communities demand justice.  The Project has an unparalleled track record, having successfully litigated issues ranging from racial profiling in drug law enforcement to ending wealth-based pretrial detention to challenging prosecutorial abuses of power to protecting medical marijuana users from prosecution. We will continue that tradition of success, combining litigation, education, and community empowerment to achieve humane, racially just, and sensible policies that respect basic human rights and the liberties enshrined in our nation\u2019s Constitution.  Staff of the Criminal Law Reform Project  Brandon Buskey, Director Emma Andersson, Deputy Director Jenn Rolnick Borchetta, Deputy Project Director on Policing Molly Kovel, Senior Staff Attorney Trisha Trigilio, Senior Staff Attorney Andrea Woods, Staff Attorney Julian Clark, Staff Attorney Ashika Verriest, Senior Staff Attorney Allison Frankel, Staff Attorney Clio Gates, Legal Administrative Assistant Ilyana Benjelloun, Paralegal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/documents\/aclu-criminal-law-reform-project\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"American Civil Liberties Union\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-29T14:11:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@aclu\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/documents\/aclu-criminal-law-reform-project\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/documents\/aclu-criminal-law-reform-project\",\"name\":\"ACLU Criminal Law Reform Project | American Civil Liberties Union\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2012-10-24T17:40:58+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-29T14:11:15+00:00\",\"description\":\"The Criminal Law Reform Project advocates for the constitutional and civil rights of those impacted by criminal legal systems. We use litigation and advocacy to confront systemic government conduct that fuels the carceral state and police abuse, and oppresses people based on race, class, and other characteristics. CLRP does this work because everyone suspected, accused, or convicted of a crime deserves dignity, fairness, and an opportunity to thrive. Ultimately, we seek to shift power to under resourced communities and to elevate approaches to justice and safety that advance fundamental rights for all.\u00a0 The Project\u2019s current priorities are: creating robust statewide indigent defense systems to ensure that people charged with a crime have access to effective assistance of counsel; ending unnecessary and unjust pretrial detention through bail reform and other abusive pretrial practices; reforming unconstitutional and racially biased police practices; challenging prosecutorial abuses of power that result in or enable regressive and unconstitutional practices; reforming our nation\u2019s punitive drug policies, which have failed to achieve public safety and health while eroding constitutional rights and criminalizing unprecedented numbers of people, particularly people of color; and reclaiming equal protection of the laws and guaranteeing substantive and procedural due process protections at each stage of the arrest-to-sentencing process of criminal cases. CLRP works closely with the ACLU\u2019s Campaign for Smart Justice, which collaborates with partners to build a movement for social change, promote racial justice, and win state-based reforms needed to cut the size of our nation\u2019s incarcerated population by 50 percent. The Project\u2019s legal strategies are built on the idea that fighting for civil rights means more than just persuading judges. It means partnering with impacted people and communities and changing hearts and minds. We work on the frontlines with communities most affected by overincarceration to integrate litigation with innovative public education campaigns and to develop tools to help these communities demand justice. The Project has an unparalleled track record, having successfully litigated issues ranging from racial profiling in drug law enforcement to ending wealth-based pretrial detention to challenging prosecutorial abuses of power to protecting medical marijuana users from prosecution. We will continue that tradition of success, combining litigation, education, and community empowerment to achieve humane, racially just, and sensible policies that respect basic human rights and the liberties enshrined in our nation\u2019s Constitution. Staff of the Criminal Law Reform Project Brandon Buskey, Director Emma Andersson, Deputy Director Jenn Rolnick Borchetta, Deputy Project Director on Policing Molly Kovel, Senior Staff Attorney Trisha Trigilio, Senior Staff Attorney Andrea Woods, Staff Attorney Julian Clark, Staff Attorney Ashika Verriest, Senior Staff Attorney Allison Frankel, Staff Attorney Clio Gates, Legal Administrative Assistant Ilyana Benjelloun, Paralegal\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/documents\/aclu-criminal-law-reform-project\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/\",\"name\":\"American Civil Liberties Union\",\"description\":\"The ACLU dares to create a more perfect union \u2014 beyond one person, party, or side. Our mission is to realize this promise of the United States Constitution for all and expand the reach of its guarantees.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"American Civil Liberties Union","description":"The Criminal Law Reform Project advocates for the constitutional and civil rights of those impacted by criminal legal systems. We use litigation and advocacy to confront systemic government conduct that fuels the carceral state and police abuse, and oppresses people based on race, class, and other characteristics. CLRP does this work because everyone suspected, accused, or convicted of a crime deserves dignity, fairness, and an opportunity to thrive. Ultimately, we seek to shift power to under resourced communities and to elevate approaches to justice and safety that advance fundamental rights for all.\u00a0  The Project\u2019s current priorities are: creating robust statewide indigent defense systems to ensure that people charged with a crime have access to effective assistance of counsel; ending unnecessary and unjust pretrial detention through bail reform and other abusive pretrial practices; reforming unconstitutional and racially biased police practices; challenging prosecutorial abuses of power that result in or enable regressive and unconstitutional practices; reforming our nation\u2019s punitive drug policies, which have failed to achieve public safety and health while eroding constitutional rights and criminalizing unprecedented numbers of people, particularly people of color; and reclaiming equal protection of the laws and guaranteeing substantive and procedural due process protections at each stage of the arrest-to-sentencing process of criminal cases. CLRP works closely with the ACLU\u2019s Campaign for Smart Justice, which collaborates with partners to build a movement for social change, promote racial justice, and win state-based reforms needed to cut the size of our nation\u2019s incarcerated population by 50 percent.  The Project\u2019s legal strategies are built on the idea that fighting for civil rights means more than just persuading judges. It means partnering with impacted people and communities and changing hearts and minds. We work on the frontlines with communities most affected by overincarceration to integrate litigation with innovative public education campaigns and to develop tools to help these communities demand justice.  The Project has an unparalleled track record, having successfully litigated issues ranging from racial profiling in drug law enforcement to ending wealth-based pretrial detention to challenging prosecutorial abuses of power to protecting medical marijuana users from prosecution. We will continue that tradition of success, combining litigation, education, and community empowerment to achieve humane, racially just, and sensible policies that respect basic human rights and the liberties enshrined in our nation\u2019s Constitution.  Staff of the Criminal Law Reform Project  Brandon Buskey, Director Emma Andersson, Deputy Director Jenn Rolnick Borchetta, Deputy Project Director on Policing Molly Kovel, Senior Staff Attorney Trisha Trigilio, Senior Staff Attorney Andrea Woods, Staff Attorney Julian Clark, Staff Attorney Ashika Verriest, Senior Staff Attorney Allison Frankel, Staff Attorney Clio Gates, Legal Administrative Assistant Ilyana Benjelloun, Paralegal","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"ACLU Criminal Law Reform Project | American Civil Liberties Union","og_description":"The Criminal Law Reform Project advocates for the constitutional and civil rights of those impacted by criminal legal systems. We use litigation and advocacy to confront systemic government conduct that fuels the carceral state and police abuse, and oppresses people based on race, class, and other characteristics. CLRP does this work because everyone suspected, accused, or convicted of a crime deserves dignity, fairness, and an opportunity to thrive. Ultimately, we seek to shift power to under resourced communities and to elevate approaches to justice and safety that advance fundamental rights for all.\u00a0  The Project\u2019s current priorities are: creating robust statewide indigent defense systems to ensure that people charged with a crime have access to effective assistance of counsel; ending unnecessary and unjust pretrial detention through bail reform and other abusive pretrial practices; reforming unconstitutional and racially biased police practices; challenging prosecutorial abuses of power that result in or enable regressive and unconstitutional practices; reforming our nation\u2019s punitive drug policies, which have failed to achieve public safety and health while eroding constitutional rights and criminalizing unprecedented numbers of people, particularly people of color; and reclaiming equal protection of the laws and guaranteeing substantive and procedural due process protections at each stage of the arrest-to-sentencing process of criminal cases. CLRP works closely with the ACLU\u2019s Campaign for Smart Justice, which collaborates with partners to build a movement for social change, promote racial justice, and win state-based reforms needed to cut the size of our nation\u2019s incarcerated population by 50 percent.  The Project\u2019s legal strategies are built on the idea that fighting for civil rights means more than just persuading judges. It means partnering with impacted people and communities and changing hearts and minds. We work on the frontlines with communities most affected by overincarceration to integrate litigation with innovative public education campaigns and to develop tools to help these communities demand justice.  The Project has an unparalleled track record, having successfully litigated issues ranging from racial profiling in drug law enforcement to ending wealth-based pretrial detention to challenging prosecutorial abuses of power to protecting medical marijuana users from prosecution. We will continue that tradition of success, combining litigation, education, and community empowerment to achieve humane, racially just, and sensible policies that respect basic human rights and the liberties enshrined in our nation\u2019s Constitution.  Staff of the Criminal Law Reform Project  Brandon Buskey, Director Emma Andersson, Deputy Director Jenn Rolnick Borchetta, Deputy Project Director on Policing Molly Kovel, Senior Staff Attorney Trisha Trigilio, Senior Staff Attorney Andrea Woods, Staff Attorney Julian Clark, Staff Attorney Ashika Verriest, Senior Staff Attorney Allison Frankel, Staff Attorney Clio Gates, Legal Administrative Assistant Ilyana Benjelloun, Paralegal","og_url":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/documents\/aclu-criminal-law-reform-project","og_site_name":"American Civil Liberties Union","article_modified_time":"2025-05-29T14:11:15+00:00","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@aclu","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/documents\/aclu-criminal-law-reform-project","url":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/documents\/aclu-criminal-law-reform-project","name":"ACLU Criminal Law Reform Project | American Civil Liberties Union","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/#website"},"datePublished":"2012-10-24T17:40:58+00:00","dateModified":"2025-05-29T14:11:15+00:00","description":"The Criminal Law Reform Project advocates for the constitutional and civil rights of those impacted by criminal legal systems. We use litigation and advocacy to confront systemic government conduct that fuels the carceral state and police abuse, and oppresses people based on race, class, and other characteristics. CLRP does this work because everyone suspected, accused, or convicted of a crime deserves dignity, fairness, and an opportunity to thrive. Ultimately, we seek to shift power to under resourced communities and to elevate approaches to justice and safety that advance fundamental rights for all.\u00a0 The Project\u2019s current priorities are: creating robust statewide indigent defense systems to ensure that people charged with a crime have access to effective assistance of counsel; ending unnecessary and unjust pretrial detention through bail reform and other abusive pretrial practices; reforming unconstitutional and racially biased police practices; challenging prosecutorial abuses of power that result in or enable regressive and unconstitutional practices; reforming our nation\u2019s punitive drug policies, which have failed to achieve public safety and health while eroding constitutional rights and criminalizing unprecedented numbers of people, particularly people of color; and reclaiming equal protection of the laws and guaranteeing substantive and procedural due process protections at each stage of the arrest-to-sentencing process of criminal cases. CLRP works closely with the ACLU\u2019s Campaign for Smart Justice, which collaborates with partners to build a movement for social change, promote racial justice, and win state-based reforms needed to cut the size of our nation\u2019s incarcerated population by 50 percent. The Project\u2019s legal strategies are built on the idea that fighting for civil rights means more than just persuading judges. It means partnering with impacted people and communities and changing hearts and minds. We work on the frontlines with communities most affected by overincarceration to integrate litigation with innovative public education campaigns and to develop tools to help these communities demand justice. The Project has an unparalleled track record, having successfully litigated issues ranging from racial profiling in drug law enforcement to ending wealth-based pretrial detention to challenging prosecutorial abuses of power to protecting medical marijuana users from prosecution. We will continue that tradition of success, combining litigation, education, and community empowerment to achieve humane, racially just, and sensible policies that respect basic human rights and the liberties enshrined in our nation\u2019s Constitution. Staff of the Criminal Law Reform Project Brandon Buskey, Director Emma Andersson, Deputy Director Jenn Rolnick Borchetta, Deputy Project Director on Policing Molly Kovel, Senior Staff Attorney Trisha Trigilio, Senior Staff Attorney Andrea Woods, Staff Attorney Julian Clark, Staff Attorney Ashika Verriest, Senior Staff Attorney Allison Frankel, Staff Attorney Clio Gates, Legal Administrative Assistant Ilyana Benjelloun, Paralegal","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/documents\/aclu-criminal-law-reform-project"]}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/","name":"American Civil Liberties Union","description":"The ACLU dares to create a more perfect union \u2014 beyond one person, party, or side. Our mission is to realize this promise of the United States Constitution for all and expand the reach of its guarantees.","inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"American Civil Liberties Union","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/125355","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/document"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/125355\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":209306,"href":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/125355\/revisions\/209306"}],"acf:post":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/issue\/46735"},{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/issue\/46575"},{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/issue\/46391"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=125355"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"foia_agency","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/foia_agency?post=125355"},{"taxonomy":"foia_document_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/foia_document_type?post=125355"},{"taxonomy":"foia_legal_authority","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/foia_legal_authority?post=125355"},{"taxonomy":"foia_district","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/foia_district?post=125355"},{"taxonomy":"foia_records_collected","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/foia_records_collected?post=125355"},{"taxonomy":"foia_fbi_mappings","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/foia_fbi_mappings?post=125355"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}