Vote Smart Justice

Launching September 2018

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Our broken criminal justice system destroys communities and wastes taxpayer dollars. It's time to elect candidates who will end mass incarceration and bring real reform.

Imprisonment is a brutal and costly response.


Today, with just under five percent of the world’s population, the U.S. has nearly 25 percent of its prisoners. Join the non-partisan movement to elect candidates who will end mass incarceration.


50
%
Percent
The ACLU's Campaign for Smart Justice is a multiyear effort to reduce the U.S. jail and prison population by 50%.

50
States
We are working in all 50 states and Washington D.C. to usher in a new era of justice in America.

What to think about when voting in 2018

Money Bail System

Nearly half a million Americans, who have not been convicted of a crime, are incarcerated in jail on any given day, many because they cannot afford cash bail.

Extreme Sentencing

Today, hundreds of thousands of Americans, particularly people of color, are serving unfairly long prison sentences, often driven by mandatory minimums that tie the hands of judges.

Unfair Prosecutorial Practices

Prosecutors across the country are fueling a mass incarceration crisis by focusing solely on incarceration, not on justice and rehabilitation.

Broken Parole

The broken criminal justice system fails to release people who have been rehabilitated and are ready to return home from prison.

Discrimination Post-Release

Tens of millions of Americans living with a criminal record face nearly 50,000 legal restrictions upon release from prison, preventing them from starting their lives over.

Abusive Police Practices

Police must stop violating Americans’ civil rights and must be held accountable and be responsive to the communities they serve.