Criminal Justice

The ACLU of Northern California recognizes that California’s systems of policing and incarceration are rooted in our country’s legacy of slavery. Through slave patrols, the Black Codes, and “convict leasing,” our legal system has persistently and explicitly denied the humanity of Black people while criminalizing their actions. Today, the system continues to target, oppress, and inflict violence and suffering on Black, Brown, and other marginalized communities.

The Criminal Justice Program of the ACLU of Northern California seek to dramatically reduce incarceration, criminalization, and police abuse by ending unjust and oppressive laws, policies, and practices that target and disproportionately harm Black, Brown, and other marginalized communities. We advocate for transforming the criminal legal system into one that keeps communities safe and respects the dignity and rights of all who come into contact with it. We work in partnership with organizations that are led by and organize with people who are directly impacted by systems of criminalization and oppression.

Crowd at a rally in support of the Racial Justice Act

Racial Justice Act Implementation

The Racial Justice Act is a California law that prohibits the State from pursuing convictions or sentences based upon race, ethnicity, or national origin. Our public database of prosecutorial records is designed help ensure a robust implementation of the law.

Explore the Database

What You Need to Know

Police officers wield enormous power to detain, search, arrest, and use force, including deadly force. Abuse of that authority results in oppression, overexposure to the criminal justice system, and unnecessary injury and death – impacts borne overwhelmingly by people in poor and Black and Brown communities. ACLU NorCal fights to diminish the power, resources, and scale of law enforcement.

Prosecutors are the most influential actors in the criminal justice system. They have almost unlimited power to push for more punishment, often in ways that are largely hidden from public view. This focus on obtaining convictions and securing severe prison sentences, instead of addressing the root causes of crime, is a major driver of incarceration that compounds racial disparities throughout the justice system. ACLU NorCal works to end mass incarceration by building community capacity to hold DAs accountable and reduce DAs’ power to incarcerate and criminalize people.

ACLU NorCal works to dramatically reduce incarceration by ending unjust and oppressive laws, policies, and practices that target and disproportionately harm Black, Brown, and other marginalized communities. We advocate for transforming the criminal legal system into one that keeps communities safe and respects the dignity and rights of all who come into contact with it.