News & Commentary
The Start of Recreational Cannabis Sales is a Big Moment. Budget Season Might be a Bigger One.
A day before recreational cannabis sales start, it's a momentous 4/20. But it's just one part of a pivotal moment. Between now and June, budget negotiations will determine where cannabis tax revenue for social justice goes. And we have to get it right the first time.
By Ami Kachalia
Releasing People From Prison is About Humanity
Early releases from prison in the pandemic in NJ — projected to exceed 8,000 from March 2020 to March 2022 — saved lives and showed the urgent human need for decarceration.
By Alexander Shalom
A Student’s Journey: Fighting for Education Rights while in Prison
Young people with disabilities have a legal right to a free and appropriate public education, even when they are incarcerated. But for years, the educational needs of high school students in New Jersey’s state prisons were not being met. That’s changing now, and Brian Y. is a big reason why.
Communities Should Decide How Cannabis Revenue is Spent
New Jersey begins its process to repair harms by reinvesting in communities harmed by the drug war – but people impacted most must lead the way.
Essex jail’s task force has yet to act after 2 years
Two years after its creation, the Essex County Correctional Facility Task Force has not met some of its most basic responsibilities.
By Molly Linhorst
A Right to Abortion Isn’t Enough. There Needs to be Access.
The Reproductive Freedom Act at its core ensures that all people who can become pregnant not only have the right, but equitable access, to abortion care by guaranteeing it regardless of one’s insurance or immigration status.
By Alejandra Sorto
With Reproductive Freedom in Danger, New Jersey Must Expand Protections and Access
When Texas banned nearly all abortions, it showed us that what happens on the state level can reach far beyond state lines. Just as starkly, it has shown the grim reality that when reproductive freedom comes under threat, people of color and those on the economic margins will undeniably bear the brunt of the harms caused by abortion restrictions.
By Alejandra Sorto
Prison populations are down in New Jersey. Let’s keep it that way.
Reducing our prison population was necessary to save lives from COVID-19. Keeping our prison population down is necessary to save lives from an unjust criminal legal system.
By Amol Sinha
Q&A: An Interview with ACLU-NJ Attorney Karen Thompson
In the last year, ACLU-NJ Senior Staff Attorney Karen Thompson has worked on cases that speak to the national moment in civil rights. She shares her perspective on working toward racial justice and police accountability in New Jersey through the legal system and changes in the law.
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