How Categorical Clemency Can Begin to Address the Harms Faced by Incarcerated Survivors of Domestic Violence

For the criminal legal system to administer justice, it’s clear that it must move away from extreme punishment and toward solutions that prioritize each individual’s experience.

By Rebecca Uwakwe

Barbed Wire + Sunset

New Jersey Enacted Legislation to Restrict Solitary Confinement – the DOC Must Ensure the Law Lives Up to Its Promise

The Legislature and Governor Murphy did their part by passing the Isolated Confinement Restriction Act four years ago. Now the DOC and county jails must ensure that the law lives up to its promise.

By Alexander Shalom

Mark Hopkins, a survivor of solitary confinement, stands next to the words "Torture is a Moral Issue."

How Our Pioneering Legal Practice Advances Civil Rights Before the State’s Highest Court

ACLU-NJ Director of Supreme Court Advocacy Alexander Shalom makes his 100th argument before the New Jersey Supreme Court.

Three people standing in front of ballons of the number 100 in an office conference room

Categorical Clemency: A Beacon of Hope in an Unjust Criminal Legal System

New Jersey has a moral responsibility to address its history of mass incarceration and racism by offering more opportunities for release. Categorical clemency offers a powerful way to do so.

Open doors in a prison.

Pretextual Traffic Stops are Unconstitutional and Life-Threatening – Lawmakers Must Act

In New Jersey, pretextual stops continue at a staggering rate, putting officers and motorists at dangerous odds, despite the majority of traffic stops doing little to contribute to public safety.

By Karen Thompson

Cop car with lights flashing at night

Leveraging Categorical Clemency Makes Reviewing Prison Sentences an Expectation, Not an Exception

Despite a historic downward trend in New Jersey’s prison population in the last decade, many people are still facing extreme sentences, incarcerated for years or even decades after their rehabilitation, and forced to serve sentences that are not commensurate to their crime or culpability.

Protester holding sign reading "Justice 4 ALL" in front of state building

A 2023 Mid-Year Review: Legislative Action on Civil Liberties in New Jersey

In preparing to cast a ballot this fall, it’s imperative to know how Legislative leaders have taken action, where they’ve fallen short, and what can still be done before the polls open.

By Sarah Fajardo

A photo of the New Jersey State House in Trenton on a sunny day.

Ending the Drug War in New Jersey to Build a Brighter Tomorrow

This 4/20, we can implement an affirmative vision for a future founded in public health and racial justice.

By Ami Kachalia

A mint green sign reads: Cannabis equity now. Hashtag Abolish the Drug War. A handwritten note is written off the side that reads: Paterson NJ is here!

Reclaiming Our New Jersey: A Transformative Vision for the Future

Lawmakers’ push to get ‘tough on crime’ is misguided.

By Amol Sinha

ACLU-NJ Amol Sinha addresses supporters gathered at the Statehouse to rally for police reform legislation.