Campaigns & Initiatives

Despite the constitutional right to an attorney, Pennsylvania’s failure to fund its public defense leaves tens of thousands of low-income Pennsylvanians who are deemed “indigent” without effective defense counsel every year.

Every year, thousands of Pennsylvanians are jailed, have their probation revoked or extended, or lose their driver’s licenses simply because they are too poor to pay the fines and costs arising out of criminal cases, including for minor summary offenses such as speeding or disorderly conduct. In some counties, the courts have become debt-collection agencies and the jails have been transformed into modern debtors’ prisons.

Ending zero tolerance in Pennsylvania schools.

The ACLU-PA has recognized the urgent need for more education and advocacy around transgender rights and lived experience of Transgender Pennsylvanians, especially given the lack of non-discrimination protections here in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Our More Law, Less Justice reports highlight the role and responsibility of the Pennsylvania General Assembly in fueling mass incarceration in our commonwealth.