Our policing and legal systems should keep communities safe, treat people fairly, and use fiscal resources wisely.
Yet more people in our state and country are deprived of their liberty than ever before — unfairly and unnecessarily, with no benefit to public safety. From instances of police violence, to systemic inequities produced by overly-punitive sentencing laws and guidelines, to the barriers to jobs, education, and housing posed by a record — the devastating consequences of our harsh, ineffective, and costly criminal justice system have fallen overwhelmingly on low-income people and Black and brown communities.
Through public education, grassroots organizing, and legal action, the ACLU of Delaware takes a comprehensive approach to reform these systems at each and every level. We work to hold police accountable, protect the rights of those incarcerated, reform harsh sentencing laws, end unjust practices like cash bail, combat racial inequities, and push for investments in alternatives to policing and prisons.