News & Commentary about Smart Justice

The ACLU Campaign for Smart Justice is an unprecedented, multiyear effort to reduce the U.S. jail and prison population by 50% and to challenge racism in the criminal legal system.

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A somber black and white still featuring Sibil "Fox" Richardson from director Garrett Bradley's documentary, "Time."

Feb 5, 2021

Filmmaker Garrett Bradley on Time in the Criminal Justice System

Syringes with doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine on a surgical tray.

Dec 24, 2020

Incarcerated People Should Get Priority Access to the COVID-19 Vaccine. It's the Smart and Humane Thing to Do.

Black and white protest sign reads: "No More Drug War, End Mass Incarceration"

Dec 7, 2020

Bold and Visionary: A Criminal Justice To-Do List for the New Administration

Dec 3, 2020

Camonghne Felix on Abolition as a Sexual Violence Survivor

Two protestors holding 'No More Drug War' and ACLU's 'We the People' posters at a protest in front of the Justice Department.

Nov 6, 2020

Criminal Justice Reform Takes Another Big, Messy Step Forward in 2020 Elections

A group of people wearing shirts and carrying banners that read "Yes on 805" referring to Oklahoma's Question 805 on the ballot.

Nov 2, 2020

What State Question 805 Has Already Won

Oct 2, 2020

The Law That Sent a Man to Prison for Life for Stealing a Pair of Hedge Clippers – and What Prosecutors Can do About It

People gather in Jefferson Square in Louisville, awaiting word on charges against police officers in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Sep 28, 2020

True Justice for Breonna Taylor Won’t Come From Criminal Charges Alone

Sep 24, 2020

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: A Cautionary Tale About Bail “Reform” in Georgia

A row of general population inmates, handcuffed and in orange jumpsuits, walk in a line at San Quentin State Prison.

Sep 15, 2020

Federal Judges are Failing Incarcerated People During the Pandemic