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Updated 12.18.08 The ACLU envisions a free, safe and just society, where civil liberties
are secure for all. Throughout our history, we have worked on
behalf of people of color to ensure that constitutional protections are
extended to all citizens and that opportunities for education,
employment, legal representation and political participation are not
denied on the basis of race. We engage in public education,
organizing, advocacy and litigation in order to achieve these
objectives.
What's Happening Nationally
In light of the FBI’s reported racial profiling, the ACLU has
urged Congress to investigate the FBI’s controversial practices.
Read more about this issue and the ACLU’s letter to the Senate
Judiciary Committee.
In February of 2008, the ACLU traveled to Geneva to testify before the
United Nations’ Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
(CERD). READ
MORE»
Read the CERD report.
What's Happening in Ohio
Ohio Legislation
In December, 2008, the Ohio General Assembly passed H.B. 130, which
eases re-entry of inmates upon release from prison, addresses overcrowded prisons, and promotes substance abuse treatment programs.
Take Action on H.B. 130.
Write your elected officials, thanking them for voting for the bill, or expressing your disappointment at their votes against. Click here to find out how your representatives voted.
For more information, download a recent episode of
“Sound of Ideas” from WCPN, which discusses HB 130 with prison experts.
Racial disparity of drug arrests in Ohio
The ACLU of Ohio is a founding member
Citizens for a Safe & Fair
Cleveland, a coalition created to work
towards unbiased law enforcement and judicial equity as related
to drug laws. The coalition commissioned a study by Professor Mona Lynch
of San Jose State University to examine the selective enforcement of
drug laws in Cuyahoga County.
Selective Enforcement of Drug Laws in Cuyahoga County, Ohio: A
Report on the Racial Effects of Geographic Disparities in Arrest
Patterns finds that African Americans and other minorities in
the city of Cleveland are more often charged with felony drug possession
than their suburban peers.
The Sentencing Project’s May 2008 report,
Disparity by Geography: The War on Drugs in America’s Cities
includes a profile of Columbus, Ohio. The study found that drug arrests
of black individuals in Ohio has increased by 293% since 1980, compared to a
41% decrease in white drug arrests.
Racial disparity in Ohio’s jail and prison
populations
The
2000 census reported that 85% (9,645,453) of Ohio residents are white,
while 11.5% (1,301,307) are African American. Yet in Ohio’s prisons, the
inmate population is 51.83% white and 45.75% black. The ACLU of Ohio is
working to bring an end to racial disparity in Ohio’s jails and prisons.
The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction reports statistical
information annually:
Commitment Reports
Annual Reports
Annual Jail Reports
The Job Prescription: Examining Pervasive Joblessness Among
African-American Men, published by Policy Bridge, includes a
discussion of Ohio’s statistics.
Racial disparity in juvenile detention centers
Black youths in Ohio are more likely to be seen in juvenile court and
more likely to be detained in a juvenile facility than any other group
of young people. The W. Haywood Burns Institute for Juvenile Fairness
and Equity publishes
statistics documenting racial disparity in Ohio’s youth detention
centers.
Similarly, the
Urban Poverty and Social Change Center at Case Western Reserve
University
reports similar disproportionate minority confinement among
juveniles.
Resources
December 10, 2008 will mark the 60th anniversary of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
What
to Do if You Are Stopped by the Police
Click here for 4-up layout (two-sided,
4 cards per sheet)
Visit these ACLU of Ohio web pages that contain a racial
justice component:
Death Penalty
Immigrant Rights
Police
Practices
Voting Rights
The national ACLU's
Racial Justice Program web page provides resources on
racial profiling,
affirmative action,
criminal justice, and
education.
Read ACLU's 2007 report
Race & Ethnicity in America: Turning a Blind Eye to Injustice.
Read the ACLU report
A Bond Forged in Struggle: The ACLU's Historic Alliance with
African-Americans in the Quest for Racial Justice.
Read the ACLU report
Sanctioned Bias: Racial Profiling Since 9/11
Available from Human Rights Watch
Targeting Blacks: Drug Law Enforcement and Race in the United
States
and
Incarcerated America
Available from Policy Matters Ohio
Selective Celling: Inmate Population in Ohio’s Private Prisons
and
Fact sheet regarding state and federal money spent on prisons
verses colleges
Published by the Justice Policy Institute
Cellblocks or Classrooms?: The Funding of Higher Education and
Corrections and its Impact on African American Men
Read news
articles related to racial justice.
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