Breaking the Being addicted to Incarceration: Weekly Highlights

Regardless of our efforts, the Senate did not adopt (by 3 votes) an important amendment previous month that would have established a bipartisan commission to check our criminal justice process and suggest reforms. On Tuesday, Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) issued a harsh recrimination of Senate Republicans for this failure. This piece from the Atlantic highlights the ACLU's support of the proposal, and you can read Senator Webb's statement here. Study ACLU Legislative Counsel Jennifer Bellamy's web site about the amendment.<br/>

Ages of ACLU advocacy to eradicate the crack-cocaine sentencing disparity compensated off last calendar year using the passage in the federal Reasonable Sentencing Act. Retroactive software from the new guidelines commenced this week, and now ACLU customer Hamedah Hasan plus much more than 12,000 some others unfairly sentenced beneath the outdated pointers may have the opportunity to possess their sentences for crack cocaine offenses reviewed by a federal decide and possibly reduced. Hear ACLU Senior Legislative Counsel Jesselyn McCurdy explore the tale on this NPR piece, which aired this week. <br/>

The ACLU is major the charge to challenge a disturbing countrywide trend: necessary drug testing of public university college students along with the poor. The ACLU's Criminal Legislation Reform Venture and ACLU of Eastern Missouri filed suit in Missouri to arguing that Linn State Technical College's drug screening of all college students violated the Fourth Amendment. Using swift motion, a federal district courtroom judge granted a preliminary injunction to quickly halt the unconstitutional coverage. Read through this website submit in regards to the victory, and this story in the AP. The ACLU of Florida filed suit tricky the state's pressured drug screening of candidates for momentary income aid (TANF). Previous week, a decide in Florida has halted enforcement of this unconstitutional policy. Study ACLU of Florida's Maria Kayanan's web site post concerning the victory along with the press launch. Read Rachel Bloom's blogging site publish in regards to the drug screening trend and additionally coverage while in the Ny Instances.