Criminal Law Reform

The new podcast from the ACLU of Northern California delves into some of the most consequential questions of our time, from immigration to surveillance to voting rights. Host Carmen King goes behind the headlines to help listeners understand what’s at stake, why the ACLU gets involved, and whose rights will be most impacted.

ACLU lawsuit led to major reforms that protect mentally ill people in pretrial detention

Pretext stops can unjustly funnel people into the criminal justice and immigration enforcement pipeline.

Vallejo officials hid evidence of police misconduct from public for years

We're challenging the governor's authority to reverse parole as a violation of the rights of young people.

A habeas petition based on claims brought under the Racial Justice Act, in which our client is challenging his conviction and death sentence. We subsequently filed a writ of habeas corpus challenging four unfounded disciplinary infractions.

The ACLU Foundation of Northern California sued the California Department of State Hospitals for refusing to provide public records about severely mentally ill individuals who died in jail, while waiting to get treatment at a state facility. At least 35 people died in one five year period alone. DSH claimed it did not keep track of the in-custody deaths of people on its waitlist.

Original writ petition challenging California’s death-penalty system under the state constitution’s equal protection provisions.