Constitutional Law

NYT Highlights ACLU's Role in Criminal Justice System Reform

By Ian Thompson, Washington Legislative Office

The New York Times had an editorial in Monday's paper — "They Don't Agree Often" — highlighting the ACLU's support for legislation currently pending in Congress which would establish a national blue-ribbon commission to examine the nation's badly broken criminal justice system and propose solutions.

The Times writes:

It is a rare cause in Washington that has the backing of the Fraternal Order of Police, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the A.C.L.U. and the Marijuana Policy Project.

It's rare indeed. It's also noteworthy that the law enforcement community recognizes that there are failures in our criminal justice system in desperate need of reform.

The National Criminal Justice Commission Act (S. 714/H.R. 5143) would provide an important first step for Congress to take in beginning the process of fundamentally changing a system that has resulted in the world's highest incarceration rate at a cost of tens of billions of dollars annually. The need for urgent action in this area couldn't be clearer.

Full post as published by Blog of Rights on May 10, 2010 (boomark / email).