Research & Publications

Since President Trump took office, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have dramatically expanded their presence at courthouses across the country. The report presents new data from a national survey of law enforcement officers, judges, prosecutors and others, conducted jointly by the ACLU and the National Immigrant Women’s Advocacy Project, which documents how reports of courthouse arrests across the county and heightened immigration enforcement generally are stopping immigrants from seeking justice. It provides recommendations on how to minimize courthouse arrests by federal immigration enforcement officers and how to protect the fundamental due process rights of immigrants as they access important services at courthouses.

One in three adults in this country has a debt that has been turned over to a private collection agency. Thousands of debtors are arrested and jailed each year because they owe money. Millions more are threatened with jail. The debts owed can be as small as a few dollars and can involve every kind of consumer debt, from medical bills to car payments to student loans. Arrests stemming from private debt are devastating communities across the country, and amount to a silent financial crisis that, due to longstanding racial and economic inequalities, is disproportionately affecting people of color and low-income communities.

The Prison Policy Initiative and ACLU Campaign for Smart Justice’s report, Women’s Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2017, offers a deeper understanding of the fastest-growing segment of the incarcerated population: women. The report provides important perspective on how incarcerated women fit into the nation’s larger incarceration crisis, and critical insights into drivers of women’s incarceration. The publication comes at a critical time, as policymakers and reform advocates across the country seek solutions to reduce the nation’s jail and prison population.

Back to Business: How Hiring Formerly Incarcerated Job Seekers Benefits Your Company is a new report from the Trone Center for Justice & Equality. The report details the ways companies can combat the ills of decades of mass incarceration, while at the same tapping into the potential energy of a workforce of millions. Today, 70 million Americans—one in three adults—have a criminal record. These are people who have or will reenter their communities and need gainful employment to build stability and find success after incarceration. The report lays out how by reducing barriers to employment and implementing fair hiring practices, companies can better provide employment opportunities to formerly incarcerated people to the benefit of all. When companies break down these barriers to employment and provide second chances, they can have a positive impact on the lives of individuals, the trajectory of families, on the health of their businesses, and on the growth of the American economy. The bottom line: doing good is good for business.

This report highlights actions that state agencies and advocates can take to ensure that LIHTC properties comply with VAWA.