Criminal Legal Reform

HARRISBURG, Pa. - As proposed legislative changes to Pennsylvania’s probation system move quickly through the General Assembly, several criminal legal reform advocates spoke out today in opposition to the bill, warning that the revisions will make things harder for many people on probation.

Today, the ACLU of Pennsylvania filed a complaint on behalf of 15 residents of Montgomery County, alleging that the Montgomery County Commissioners committed more than a dozen violations of the Sunshine Act by firing top public defenders Dean Beer and Keisha Hudson.

Imagine a world in which you can be detained by police and thrown in jail for taking a phone call from a family member. Or for walking down the same street in your neighborhood that you’ve been taking for years. Or for getting laid off from your job.

On May 9, with less than two weeks to go before the first contested district attorney primary in Allegheny County in 20 years, ACLU-PA co-hosted a candidate forum to give voters the opportunity to hear from the incumbent, Stephen Zappala, and the challenger, Turahn Jenkins.

On June 13, 2024, the ACLU-PA filed a lawsuit against Governor Josh Shapiro and the leadership of the state General Assembly challenging the inadequate representation provided to indigent criminal defendants in Pennsylvania courts. As a result of decades of inadequate funding and oversight of its public defense system, indigent Pennsylvanians are at risk of being denied their constitutional right to effective assistance of counsel in their criminal cases. The lawsuit was brought by 17 indigent Pennsylvanians facing criminal prosecution without effective assistance of counsel at each stage of their criminal proceedings. They brought the lawsuit on behalf of a class of all indigent Pennsylvanians at similar risk of harm due to the Commonwealth’s systemic failure to fund and supervise indigent defense services. The lawsuit asks a Pennsylvania court to rule that the current state of public defense services in Pennsylvania violates the constitution, so that the governor and the General Assembly will protect our constitutional rights by adequately funding public defense in Pennsylvania.

The ACLU of Pennsylvania has filed a lawsuit against the Delaware County Office of Judicial Support’s due to the office's refusal to expunge a criminal record due to unpaid court costs, despite a court order requiring expungement.

The ACLU of Pennsylvania has filed an amended complaint against the Allegheny County Jail Oversight Board updating a previously filed lawsuit alleging multiple persistent violations of the Pennsylvania Sunshine Act. The lawsuit was originally filed by Rachel Radke, a community advocate who seeks a number of reforms at Allegheny County Jail. The latest filing adds another community advocate for criminal legal reform. The lawsuit alleges that the Allegheny County Jail Oversight Board failed to post public meeting agendas 24 hours in advance of the meeting; unreasonably restricted and ignored public comments; and used closed, executive session meetings to discuss topics that should have been part of public discourse.

The ACLU of Pennsylvania has filed a lawsuit in Berks County regarding two county policies that prohibit individuals from participating in treatment court programs as long as they use medical marijuana to treat their serious medical conditions.