Criminal Justice Reform

The rights guaranteed to criminal suspects, defendants, offenders and prisoners are not mere technicalities. They are fundamental political rights that protect all Americans from governmental abuse of power. These rights include the guarantee against unreasonable search and seizure, the right to reasonable bail, the right to due process of law and the right to be free from cruel and unusual treatment—and they are indispensable to a free society. Yet crime control policies all too often assume that harsher law enforcement policies and longer prison sentences can solve the problem. The ACLU works to puncture this “tough on crime” rhetoric, safeguard fundamental liberties, and advocate for sensible, evidence-based reforms of criminal justice policies.

Lady Liberty

The rights guaranteed to criminal suspects, defendants, offenders and prisoners are not mere technicalities. They are fundamental political rights that protect all Americans from governmental abuse of power. These rights include the guarantee against unreasonable search and seizure, the right to reasonable bail, the right to due process of law and the right to be free from cruel and unusual treatment—and they are indispensable to a free society. Yet crime control policies all too often assume that harsher law enforcement policies and longer prison sentences can solve the problem. The ACLU works to puncture this “tough on crime” rhetoric, safeguard fundamental liberties, and advocate for sensible, evidence-based reforms of criminal justice policies.

The Latest

Press Release
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Decorated Veteran Assaulted by National Guard Troops in D.C. Files Legal Claim to Challenge Abuse

Filed by the ACLU of D.C. and law firm Levy Firestone and Muse, LLP, this claim is one of 54 filed by the ACLU and its affiliates across 17 states under the Federal Tort Claims Act that seek justice for people harmed by federal agents
Issue Areas: Criminal Justice Reform
Podcast
A collage graphic with the "A more perfect district podcast" red and white letter logo. Episode 4: Powering real public safety

Powering Real Public Safety

In this episode, we cover what you need to know about the public safety issues impacting our District. Host Alicia Yass, Policy Advocacy Director, is joined by Peggy Ramin, Policy Counsel, to discuss what real public safety looks like and how D.C. leaders can uplift prevention, instead of over-relying on policing and incarceration. Later, Yass is joined by James Carpenter of the Free Minds Book Club. Here they discuss why D.C. needs to support reentry programs, the importance of support services to the formerly incarcerated, and what matters most to this community.
Press Release
A collage featuring hands holding microphones, symbolizing media and press coverage. In the background, there is a large government building and a fragment of the U.S. Constitution with the words “We the People.” The design uses a red and beige color scheme with layered geometric shapes.

ACLU of D.C. Applauds District Council for Overriding Mayor’s Veto, Passing Federal Transparency Legislation

The Council of the District of Columbia today unanimously overrode a veto by Mayor Muriel Bowser, passing legislation to require the Metropolitan Police Department officers to document identifying information for all law enforcement officers present at the scene of an arrest.
Issue Areas: Police Practices and Police Misconduct, Criminal Justice Reform
News & Commentary
A stylized graphic with a dark blue background featuring three overlapping red-tinted panels. The left panel shows the Statue of Liberty holding a torch. The center panel displays a handwritten sign that reads “DEMOCRACY STANDS” and “THE CONSTITUTION STANDS.” The right panel includes an image of Donald Trump.

A Year of Resistance in the Nation’s Capital: How D.C. Resisted the First Year of the Second Trump Administration

2025 has brought one emergency after another. But in this crisis, residents across D.C. fought for their rights and showed why the urgency of self-governance in D.C. is more important than ever.

Cases, Campaigns & Legislation

Legislation
May 7, 2026

FY27 Budget Oversight Testimony for the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services

Justice-involved young people and their families need more investment in intervention, programming, and resources – not less.
Position: Oversight Testimony
Legislation
May 6, 2026

FY27 Budget Oversight Testimony for the Department of Corrections and the Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants

This testimony addresses ACLU-D.C.'s recommendations regarding the District’s Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) budget for the Department of Corrections (DOC) and the Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants (OVSJG).
Status: Budget Oversight
Position: Oversight Testimony
Legislation
Apr 27, 2026

FY27 Budget Oversight Testimony for the Department of Parks and Recreation

The ACLU-D.C. supports FY27 funding levels for DPR at or above FY26 levels, which will allow the department to continue to invest necessary funds in accessible facilities and programming for all D.C. residents. We are particularly concerned that the Mayor’s proposed budget does not fund DPR at the correct level to provide young people and their families with safe spaces to grow and develop. Cuts to DPR’s operating budget will make it more difficult for DPR to provide robust, youth-centered programming that is both fully staffed and accessible to residents across the District’s eight wards. Our communities can flourish when we take a preventive, rather than punitive, approach to youth development and public safety. We believe funding levels that support DPR’s full operating needs will help implement this holistic approach, thereby making our communities safer, and helping the District’s young residents grow into healthy, successful adults.
Status: Budget Oversight
Position: Oversight Testimony
Legislation
Apr 29, 2026

FY27 MPD Budget

Among other things, ACLU-D.C. urges the Council to put pressure on MPD to implement all recommendations from the Office of the D.C. Auditor (Auditor) and Office of Police Complaints (OPC); pass legislation prohibiting all District government entities, including all entities designated as law enforcement, from collaborating with any federal agency for the purpose of carrying out immigration enforcement; and taking a more compassionate approach to concerns about youth misbehavior, by investing in proven crime prevention strategies, rather than punitive ones, like the youth curfew.
Position: Oversight Testimony