News & Commentary

With Connecticut poised to choose a new Chief State's Attorney, the state should appoint someone who will prioritize decarceration, racial justice, and holding police accountable.

Laws regarding prosecutorial transparency, transparency about police violence, limiting local cooperation with ICE, changes to special parole, jailhouse witnesses, and information for people who are incarcerated and their families go into effect on October 1, 2019.

Elana Bildner has spent her career advocating and litigating for justice for immigrants, people who are or were incarcerated, and families. Now, she has joined the ACLU of Connecticut as staff attorney.Most recently, Elana was a senior clinical fellow with the Civil Justice Clinic at Quinnipiac University School of Law, where she worked on cases focused on ending long prison sentences imposed on children and guided law students who were representing young adults in parole hearings and civil rights lawsuits challenging mistreatment of people who were incarcerated. Prior to her time at Quinnipiac, Elana spent six years as a civil litigator in New York and Connecticut. A former executive editor of Columbia Law School’s Jailhouse Lawyers’ Manual, Elana also previously worked with anti-poverty organizations in New York through AmeriCorps.

As a firm believer that everyone deserves the opportunity to thrive, Claudine Fox has always been moved to action to protect, support, and strengthen her community, particularly people who have been harmed by oppressive and racist systems of power. Meet Claudine, the ACLU-CT's campaign manager.

We’re fighting to end the discriminatory and dangerous way that Stamford, like many towns and cities across Connecticut, sets bail.

The ACLU of Connecticut has a long history of fighting for reproductive freedom.

When Connecticut violates an incarcerated person’s right to freedom from cruel and unusual punishment, it should not be able to give itself a discount.

Information is power, and this transparency bill is a necessary step – but only the first step – toward placing power over police squarely where it belongs: with the people.

Smart Justice is just getting started on its efforts to create prosecutorial transparency and accountability, and our work to reform the CJC will continue.