Research & Publications

Every 25 Seconds: The Human Toll of Criminalizing Drug Use in the United States is a joint report by Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union that documents the devastating harms caused by enforcement of drug possession laws.

More than 1.25 million people are arrested per year for drug possession, making it the single most arrested crime in the country. Black and white adults use drugs at similar rates, but a Black adult is 2.5 times more likely to be arrested for drug possession. On any given day there are at least 137,000 people behind bars as a result of drug possessions, while tens of thousands more are convicted, cycle through jails and prisons, and spend extended periods on probation and parole, often burdened with crippling debt from court-imposed fines and fees. There is a better way. This report provides detailed recommendations authorities should follow to minimize the harmful consequences of current laws and policies, until decriminalization is achieved.

Author: Tess Borden (@TessBorden)

Press Coverage: The Washington Post | The Intercept | Business Insider | Democracy Now | Reason Magazine | MintPress News | Center for American Progress | YubaNet

Articles/Blogs Written By Author: “Stuck in a US Prison – for a Small Amount of Marijuana” – Human Rights Watch | “It’s Time to Decriminalize Personal Drug Use and Possession. Basic Rights and Public Health Demand It.” – ACLU

Related Advocacy/Litigation: Record Voter Engagement Leads to Historic Marijuana Legalization | Massachusetts Voters Legalize Marijuana, and ACLU Sets Sights on Successful Implementation | ACLU Calls for Repeal of Mandatory Minimum drug Sentencing Following SJC Ruling | ACLU Obtains Court Ruling Against Smithfield Anti-Medical Marijuana Ordinance | Maricopa County Prosecutor Drops Challenge to Arizona’s Medical Marijuana Act as Violation of Federal Law, Ceding Victory to ACLU

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This new report from the American Civil Liberties Union spotlights the dangerously close ties between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the private prison industry, describes the human toll of over-detention and privatization, and provides a concrete plan for how ICE can and should phase out its reliance on private prisons.

The proliferation in local police departments’ use of surveillance technology, which in most places has occurred without any community input or control, presents significant threats to civil rights and civil liberties that disproportionately impact communities of color and low-income communities. The nationwide “Community Control Over Police Surveillance” effort is looking to change that through legislation mandating that local communities are given a meaningful opportunity to review and participate in all decisions about if and how surveillance technologies are acquired and used locally. Here is a list of costly and invasive surveillance technologies that might be recording you, your family, and your neighbors right now.

Races for President, Senate and Governorships at Risk with an Eviscerated Voting Rights Act

This report, released by the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of the Nation’s Capital, summarizes the results of a DC Freedom of Information Act request and focuses on the exclusion of women and girls from the programming launched under this new, $20 million initiative of the District of Columbia Public Schools. Despite statistics showing that girls of color in Washington DC are suffering from many of the same serious educational disparities facing boys of color, the programs launched under this initiative appear to be open almost exclusively to boys, with no plans for any similar programming for girls. While the report commends the Mayor and the District of Columbia Public Schools for directing critically-needed attention and resources toward some of the District’s most educationally disadvantaged students, it also points to significant legal vulnerabilities in the exclusion of girls of color from these programs under the relevant provisions of the Constitution, Title IX, and the D.C. Human Rights Act, and recommends that the programming be opened to girls going forward.

The ACLU and the African American Policy Forum are also seeking to connect with parents and family members of African-American and Latino children in Washington DC public schools to hear their feelings, views and attitudes on educational opportunities for girls in Washington DC. Please fill out this form if you are interested in sharing your views with us.

This report was originally published on May 9, 2016, and has since been updated to reflect further information subsequently received pursuant to a supplemental Freedom of Information Act request.