Young people deserve second chances

Adolescence happens on a spectrum, and people who convicted when they were under the age of 26 should receive the same parole opportunities as young people under the age of 18 currently do.

By Tracie Bernardi

ACLUCT smart justice leader Tracie Bernardi stands facing the camera and smiling. She is wearing a blue Smart Justice zip-up and a yellow People Not Prisons pin. To her left is an ACLUCT banner that says we the people dare to create a more perfect union

Strip searches are dehumanizing

Strip searches are dehumanizing, humiliating, state-sanctioned trauma and sexual violence.

By Terri Ricks

ACLU CT Smart Justice leader Terri Ricks sits, smiling at the camera and wearing a brown jacket and brown hoodie.

We need to protect incarcerated persons while they are incarcerated and support them when they are released.

Strip searches are used to embarrass, shame and dehumanize. It's time to end the practice. Reentry is difficult without an ID. Sending people home from prison without an ID is setting them up for failure.

By Tracie Bernardi

ACLUCT smart justice leader Tracie Bernardi stands facing the camera and smiling. She is wearing a blue Smart Justice zip-up and a yellow People Not Prisons pin. To her left is an ACLUCT banner that says we the people dare to create a more perfect union

Formerly incarcerated people need ID's to successfully reenter society.

If the state knows a person’s identity well enough to incarcerate them, then the state can give them the proper identification when they leave.

By Curtis Hudson

Smart Justice Leader Curtis Hudson standing and smiling next to an ACLU of CT poster

The police have lied to me. They should never be able to lie to children.

No one, and especially children, should be imprisoned because the police coerced, manipulated and deceived them into saying something that is not true.

By Marquita Reale

ACLU of CT Smart Justice leader Marquita Reale stands, smiling at the camera and holding up a peace sign. she is wearing a blue people not prisons hoodie

No one likes to be lied to, but it’s even worse when you lie to a child. I cannot understand why police would choose to lie to a child.

Children’s safety, and support, should be the main concern for our communities.  Instead, police rely on lying and fear tactics meant to keep society in lines.

By Manuel Sandoval

ACLU of CT Smart Justice leader Manuel Sandoval faces the camera, standing and holding a framed collage commemorating his LCSW. he is wearing glasses and a blue people not prisons hoodie

Children are vulnerable to deceptive tactics, especially when they are in the custody of the police.

No one, including children, should be imprisoned because police coerced them into a false confession. I teach my children, to be honest. Honesty promotes trust, fosters healthy and strong relationships, and prevents harm.

By Brittany LaMarr

ACLUCT smart justice leader Brittany Lamar stands, smiling and facing the camera. She is wearing a blue people not prisons t-shirt and has long blond hair.

Workers support predictable schedules

When you can’t rely on stability in your job it makes it impossible to pay bills, plan for childcare, take care of your own health and well-being, and make plans for the future.

By Lori LeDonne

ACLUCT Smart Justice leader Lori LeDonne stands, smiling and holding a "workers support predictable schedules" sign. She is wearing a blue people not prisons zip up sweatshirt

I have helped people gain their right to vote back. Let me tell you why it should not be taken away from them in the first place.

As a person, who has had my voting rights restored and exercises my right to vote I believe enfranchisement is an integral way for all Americans to participate in the democracy that governs them.

By Anderson Curtis

Anderson Curtis, ACLU of Connecticut ACLU Smart Justice Connecticut field organizer