News & Commentary
Pennsylvanians want solutions, not the failed policies of the past
When it comes to immigration and public safety, politicians running for office in 2024 tend to get it all wrong no matter if they are a Democrat or a Republican.
By Andy Hoover, Danitra Sherman
What Pennsylvania’s failure to fund public defenders means across the commonwealth
This is a small snapshot of evidence in our lawsuit against the state over its failure to fund public defenders. As it stands, the commonwealth, excluding the Defender Association of Philadelphia, is tied with Mississippi for dead last in per capita funding of public defenders.
By Veronica Miller, Ari Shapell
Philadelphia Police Program to Reduce Race Disparities in Pedestrian Stops Goes Citywide As Public Safety Policy Slides Backwards
If you’ve been following the ACLU of Pennsylvania’s work in recent years, you may have heard about our ongoing settlement with the city of Philadelphia regarding police officers’ use of stop-and-frisk.
By Julie Zaebst, Solomon Furious Worlds
Pipeline of unnecessary legislation fuels mass incarceration crisis in Pennsylvania
Law enforcement and prosecutors already have all of the tools necessary to protect public safety. But over the last four decades, the Pennsylvania General Assembly has become a bipartisan offense factory, churning out hundreds of new bills each legislative session that duplicate existing law or add unnecessarily harsh new criminal penalties to our already bloated criminal code. This is the statehouse-to-prison pipeline.The ACLU of Pennsylvania tracks all criminal laws proposed or passed by lawmakers in Harrisburg for our biennial report More Law, Less Justice: Pennsylvania's Statehouse-to-Prison Pipeline. Late last month, we released our latest edition for the 2021-2022 legislative session.Mass incarceration begins at the statehouse. The purpose of this report is to highlight the role and responsibility of the Pennsylvania General Assembly in fueling our state’s ongoing mass incarceration crisis.
By Elizabeth Randol
Stop and frisk: a clear failure of public safety policy
Despite what you might hear from some candidates for mayor and city council in Philadelphia, one policing tactic that has proven a failure time and again in bolstering public safety is so-called stop-and-frisk.
Street-based sex workers and the revolving door of incarceration
The stigma surrounding sex workers is rooted in personal beliefs, false assumptions, and a culture of sex work being too taboo to discuss openly.
By Naiymah Sanchez
Decriminalization of sex work is a means of harm reduction
Sex work is here to stay. The question is, are we willing to protect those who choose to enter into this industry? Or will we continue to make their lives and livelihoods less safe by continuing to criminalize this type of chosen work?
By Naiymah Sanchez
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