News & Commentary

When Shane was just 16 years old, a judge sentenced him to 30 years to life in prison. Like most people, Shane grew and changed as he became an adult.

A woman was denied life-saving medicine by the New Mexico Corrections Department, so we sued.

Alternatives to incarceration often replicate the same problematic technologies that fostered mass incarceration.

If President Biden allows thousands of people to be sent back to federal prison, he would be presiding over the fastest expansion of the federal prison population in history.

Results of ACLU public records request reveal New Mexico is finally tackling the Hepatitis C epidemic

For too long, qualified immunity has shielded bad actors from liability and prevented survivors of abuse from seeking justice. But we can change that.

Allowing private corporations to profit off of bondage and suffering in our state has perpetuated a humanitarian crisis and cost taxpayers millions in lawsuits resulting from the rampant neglect and abuse in these facilities. It is both a moral and material failure for our state.

For the past seven months, rarely has a day gone by that the ACLU hasn’t received a desperate call or email from someone who has a family member or loved one locked up in one of our state’s jails or prisons. They are mothers, fathers, siblings, spouses – all terrified that someone they love will get sick because our state has abdicated its responsibility to prevent the unchecked spread of a deadly virus inside its detention facilities.

In fact, instead of improving public safety, COVID-19 has shown us that our addiction to incarceration is an urgent threat to public health. There is a clear path forward.