Throughout 2012, the ACLU continued to have a positive impact on the lives of Delawareans:
- Students and their families are now better able to defend themselves against overly harsh discipline policies in schools.
- Immigrants and other non-English speakers are guaranteed interpreter services when facing criminal charges, and the state police are implementing new policies and training procedures to improve their interactions with non-English speakers.
- People with mental illness should have improved interactions with the police due to our work with the Division of Health and Social Services.
- Changes to Department of Correction policy that we won with our 2011 lawsuit are being implemented, and women in prison will suffer fewer sexual assaults as a result.
- People convicted of a felony are one step closer to more quickly reclaiming their voting rights with the passage of the Hazel D. Plant Voter Restoration Act.
As we look ahead to 2013, we hope to have a significant impact in the General Assembly with the passage of legislation to establish same-sex marriage and to repeal the death penalty in Delaware. We will expand our Stay in School program to additional after-school locations by recruiting and training volunteers to conduct more frequent workshops. And our emerging collaboration with Harvard Law School and Massachusetts Advocates for Children will help us learn how successful programs to improve educational opportunities for children traumatized by family violence can be customized for students here.
In 2012, ACLU-DE board members began to review the organization’s strategic priorities. Their research and analysis will continue in 2013. We are considering how the ACLU in Delaware can have the biggest impact given our current capacity and our potential for growth. Some of the most critical civil liberties challenges we have identified include:
- equal access to quality education for all students
- school push-out and the school-to-prison pipeline
- the rights of people with disabilities
- over-incarceration of non-violent offenders
- prison conditions
- police misconduct
Our challenge is to establish a proactive program to address these problems while also responding to complaints about violations of free speech, breaching the separation of church and state, and racial discrimination or profiling.
As you can see, the scope of work of the ACLU here is far-reaching. We have a big impact for our small size and we want to do even more. Please partner with us to advance freedom and protect civil liberties by volunteering your time or making a financial contribution. Your gift will be put to immediate use defending the values that we all hold dear and improving the lives of people throughout our community.
