Research & Publications
Access in-depth resources and analysis published by the Ƶ regarding our most pressing civil liberties issues.
Ƶ 2024 Annual Report
The Ƶ’s 2024 annual report highlights how the organization worked around the clock this year to safeguard voting rights ahead of the November elections, protect bodily autonomy, defend free speech, and much more. Alongside breakdowns of the Ƶ’s key wins and efforts throughout 2024, the report tells the stories of Ƶ activists, advocates, and clients who are on the front lines of this fight.
All Publications
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Report: The Confirmation Sessions
The Ƶ released an analysis of Sen. Jeff Sessions’ record on civil liberties issues ahead of the Jan. 10-11 confirmation hearings as President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general. The Ƶ report looks at Sessions’ handling of police reform, voting rights, immigration, mass incarceration, religious liberty, LGBT equality, privacy and surveillance, torture, abortion, and sexual assault issues.
Report: False Hope - How Parole Systems Fail Youth Serving Extreme Sentences
This report documents the failures of parole systems across the United States and how these systems fail prisoners who were young when convicted of serious crimes and are serving decades or their lives in prison.
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The 2016 Trump Memos
Donald Trump's statements and policy proposals would blatantly violate the inalienable rights guaranteed by the Constitution. We have undertaken an analysis of his most controversial policy proposals. These include his pledges to deport over 11 million undocumented immigrants, to ban Muslims from entering the United States, to surveil American Muslims and their houses of worship, to torture again, and to revise libel laws. We have found them all wanting, to say the least. According to our analysis, Trump’s proposals taken together would violate the First, Fourth, Fifth, and Eighth Amendments to the Constitution.
Every 25 Seconds: The Human Toll of Criminalizing Drug Use in the United States
Every 25 Seconds: The Human Toll of Criminalizing Drug Use in the United States is a joint report by Human Rights Watch and the Ƶ that documents the devastating harms caused by enforcement of drug possession laws.
More than 1.25 million people are arrested per year for drug possession, making it the single most arrested crime in the country. Black and white adults use drugs at similar rates, but a Black adult is 2.5 times more likely to be arrested for drug possession. On any given day there are at least 137,000 people behind bars as a result of drug possessions, while tens of thousands more are convicted, cycle through jails and prisons, and spend extended periods on probation and parole, often burdened with crippling debt from court-imposed fines and fees. There is a better way. This report provides detailed recommendations authorities should follow to minimize the harmful consequences of current laws and policies, until decriminalization is achieved.
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Articles/Blogs Written By Author: "" - Human Rights Watch | "It’s Time to Decriminalize Personal Drug Use and Possession. Basic Rights and Public Health Demand It." - Ƶ
Related Advocacy/Litigation: Record Voter Engagement Leads to Historic Marijuana Legalization | Massachusetts Voters Legalize Marijuana, and Ƶ Sets Sights on Successful Implementation | Ƶ Calls for Repeal of Mandatory Minimum drug Sentencing Following SJC Ruling | Ƶ Obtains Court Ruling Against Smithfield Anti-Medical Marijuana Ordinance | Maricopa County Prosecutor Drops Challenge to Arizona’s Medical Marijuana Act as Violation of Federal Law, Ceding Victory to Ƶ
Shutting Down the Profiteers: Why and How the Department of Homeland Security Should Stop Using Private Prisons
This new report from the Ƶ spotlights the dangerously close ties between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the private prison industry, describes the human toll of over-detention and privatization, and provides a concrete plan for how ICE can and should phase out its reliance on private prisons.
Ƶ Magazine
Published twice a year, Ƶ Magazine shares updates on the Ƶ's critical litigation and advocacy work across the country and tells the stories of the activists, attorneys, and clients at the heart of each case and campaign. To receive Ƶ Magazine by mail, become a monthly donor today.