News & Commentary

2020’s been a year for the books, but we kept fighting — and we couldn’t have gotten through it without your support.

As we close out the year, we look back on an eventful final few months of 2020. Since our last newsletter went out, we've been through a lengthy General election, an historic settlement in our Delaware Public Schools litigation, a continued push to make probation reform a priority in 2021, and important progress on police reform in Wilmington.

Represent your support for the ACLU and help us celebrate 100 years fighting for civil rights and civil liberties by gifting swag that’s sure to please the civil liberty lovers on your list!

Roughly half of people on probation in Delaware make simple mistakes that shouldn’t warrant any prison time—but our broken probation system could force them back into prison anyway. It’s time to reimagine how this system operates.

On Dec 1 the DOC announced 471 positive cases in their facilities, so we sent another letter to Gov Carney and DOC asking for urgent protections for those living and working in our state's prisons. Read our press release and letter here.

Register and attend the LEATF virtual meeting on December 2, 2020 at 6:00 PM and ask them through public comment to prioritize policies that foster fairness, transparency, and accountability. Use this action guide to help you craft and submit a public comment in support of police reform legislation!

COVID-19 impacted Delaware’s criminal justice system in many ways, including how we police communities and those on probation. Those changes have led to the biggest decrease in Delaware’s prison and probation populations in the last ten years.

On Thursday, November 19, 2020, the Wilmington City Council voted 10-1, with one absent vote, to pass a proposed ordinance that will amend Chapter 35 of the City Code and create a Citizen Complaint Review Board (CCRB) in the city.

Refusing to count millions of absentee ballots would disenfranchise voters of color disproportionately across the nation. That's why we're calling on Congress to ensure that every valid vote is counted.