ACLU Smart Justice Connecticut is campaigning to end mass incarceration and eliminate racial disparities in Connecticut's justice system. We are led by an unprecedented cohort of leaders who have ourselves been directly impacted by Connecticut's justice system.
From policing policies to prison practices, the ACLU of Connecticut seeks to reverse the tide of mass incarceration, protect constitutional rights, eliminate racial disparities, and increase government transparency and accountability to make our justice system more fair and equal.
We believe that police violence cannot be effectively addressed without completely reimagining the role of police. Connecticut, like the rest of the country, must reduce the role, responsibilities, and presence of police, especially in Black and Latinx communities.
The right to vote is a cornerstone of our democracy. The ACLU of Connecticut has worked to ensure that all citizens may vote in Connecticut without intimidation, coercion, or unnecessary barriers.
The ACLU of Connecticut protects the five freedoms of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution — freedom of speech, assembly, association, petition and the press — but we’re called on most often to defend speech.
Immigrants to the United States are frequently targets of discrimination, and undocumented immigrants are particularly susceptible to abuse.
Too often, our state's privacy laws have failed to keep up with new technologies. Our telephone service providers can tell the government what numbers we call, security cameras track our movements, and police scan our license plates.
The rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and gender non-conforming people have been a touchstone of the ACLU of Connecticut's legal and legislative work. In 2008, we joined the Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders to win the fight to legalize same-sex marriage in our state.
Through litigation, advocacy, and public education, we push for change to end discrimination against women.
The constitutional rights of young people are frequently at risk.
From fighting for legislation to combat racial profiling, to litigating cases to challenge discriminatory laws, the ACLU of Connecticut stands for the equal treatment of all people.
The freedom to practice or not practice religion without interference or coercion from the government is a fundamental guarantee of the U.S. and Connecticut constitutions.
Transparency in government is essential to our democracy. The ACLU of Connecticut has worked to uphold this principle by opposing efforts to undermine Connecticut's Freedom of Information law and demanding government documents to contribute to public discourse.
We strive for a country free of discrimination against people with disabilities; where people with disabilities are valued, integrated members of society who have full access to education, homes, health care, jobs, families, voting, and civic engagement.
Through litigation, advocacy, and public education, our work focuses on a range of issues, including protecting access to affordable contraception, protecting a pregnant person's ability to make personal, private decisions about pregnancy and abortion, and fighting pregnancy discrimination.