America’s criminal legal system is rooted in excessively punitive policies that have resulted in over-criminalization, mass incarceration, and racial injustice, with the brunt of harms disproportionately falling on people of color, as well as immigrants, people with low-incomes, and LGBTQ+ people.
The ACLU-NJ advocates for a government that is accountable to the people and for access to the tools that will allow people to participate fully in public life.
Discrimination in all its forms, whether overt or subtle, is harmful to all of us, and is far too often ingrained in law and policy. The ACLU-NJ works to protect New Jerseyans from all forms of discrimination to ensure that everyone has equal access to opportunity.
Through litigation, advocacy, and public education, the ACLU-NJ pushes for change and systemic reform in institutions that perpetuate discrimination based on gender and sexuality, especially in employment, health care, education, and the criminal legal system.
Regardless of a person’s country of origin, everyone in the United States has constitutional rights. Yet xenophobia and structural inequities mean the rights of immigrants are disproportionately violated.
The discriminatory history of our country makes racial and economic injustice inextricably linked. Disparities in wealth, income, access to resources, and other economic opportunities remain based on race and ethnicity, preventing us from attaining racial justice.