Resources

Criminal Law Reform

  Criminal Law Reform Campaign Summary (189.5 KiB, 583 hits)

The ACLU of Texas Criminal Law Reform Campaign seeks to end excessively harsh criminal justice policies that result in mass incarceration and stand in the way of a just and equal society.
Learn more about our campaign inside.

  Banking on Bonadage: Private Prisons and Mass Incarceration (2.9 MiB, 528 hits)

The imprisonment of human beings at record levels is both a moral failure and an economic one—especially at a time when more and more Americans are struggling to make ends meet and when state governments confront enormous fiscal crises. This report finds, however, that mass incarceration provides a gigantic windfall for one special interest group—the private prison industry—even as current incarceration levels harm the country as a whole.

  Regulating Death in the Lone Star State: Texas Law Protects Lizards From Needless Suffering, But Not Human Beings (117.3 KiB, 419 hits)

In Texas, men and women are put to death not under the supervision of doctors and anesthesiologists—or even licensed veterinarians—but at the hands of a prison lethal injection team whose medical training is limited. It is no exaggeration to say that Texas regulates the euthanasia of reptiles more strictly than the execution of human beings.

  Searching for Consent: An Analysis of Racial Profiling Data in Texas (540.1 KiB, 503 hits)

Many Texas law enforcement agencies continue to use consent searches inconsistently and inappropriately, according to a report by the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition titled Searching for Consent: An Analysis of Racial Profiling Data in Texas. As a result, many Texans, regardless of race, are subjected to over-searching. The report warns that these over-searching policies ultimately diminish public safety, and it urges departments to use more efficient policing practices.

  Smart Reform is Possible: States Reducing Incarceration Rates and Costs While Protecting Communities (1.7 MiB, 424 hits)

Since President Richard Nixon first announced the “War on Drugs” forty years ago, the United States has adopted “tough on crime” criminal justice policies that have given it the dubious distinction of having the highest incarceration rate in the world. These past forty years of criminal justice policymaking have been characterized by overcriminalization, increasingly draconian sentencing and parole regimes, mass incarceration of impoverished communities of color, and rapid prison building. These policies have also come at a great expense to taxpayers.

  Too Far Off Task: Why, after Tulia, Texas should re-think its Big Government approach to the Drug War, abolish narcotics task forces, and save $200 million this biennium (2.9 MiB, 835 hits)

The report, titled Too Far Off Task, cites 24 major Texas narcotics scandals — 15 involving regional task forces — in which undercover drug officers were found to have engaged in stealing, dealing or transporting drugs, lying under oath, falsifying government documents and even framing innocent people.

Immigrants’ Rights

  Immigrants’ Rights Campaign Summary (519.7 KiB, 585 hits)

The ACLU of Texas Immigrants’ Rights Campaign is dedicated to reclaiming constitutional and civil rights for all Texans, regardless of immigration status.

  Immigrants’ Rights Campaign Summary (Spanish) (unknown, 610 hits)

The ACLU of Texas Immigrants’ Rights Campaign is dedicated to reclaiming constitutional and civil rights for all Texans, regardless of immigration status.

  Know Your Rights: If Immigration, Police, or FBI Officers Try to Enter Your Home (unknown, 554 hits)

English Version, Page 1 of 2

  Know Your Rights: If Immigration, Police, or FBI Officers Try to Enter Your Home (unknown, 995 hits)

Spanish Version, Page 1 of 2

  Know Your Rights: If Immigration, Police, or FBI Officers Try to Enter Your Home (unknown, 473 hits)

Spanish Version, Page 2 of 2

  Know Your Rights: If Immigration, Police, or FBI Officers Try to Enter Your Home (unknown, 454 hits)

English Version, Page 2 of 2

  Missing the Mark: how national security strategies in Rio Grande Valley border communities sacrifice basic human rights and fail to make Texans safer (unknown, 615 hits)

In Missing the Mark: how national security strategies in Rio Grande Valley border communities sacrifice basic human rights and fail to make Texans safer we look at major issues facing this historic part of Texas.

Testimony from detainees, their attorneys and advocates, residents and officials has been compiled to paint a picture of systemic and systematic civil and human rights violations.

  Operation Border Star: Wasted Millions and Missed Opportunities (unknown, 539 hits)

In a 33-page report, Operation Border Star: Wasted Millions and Missed Opportunities describes how 11 of 40 participating Texas local law enforcement agencies used Border Star, a $110 million, state-funded effort that is supposed to combat violent crime, drug smuggling and terrorism.

  Report – Second Class Prisoner 9.12.12 (unknown, 644 hits)

Second Class Prisoner: Inmate Reports from Inside Four West Texas CAR Prisons

Religious Freedom

  Distribution of Gideons Bibles in Texas Public Schools (478.3 KiB, 921 hits)

Distribution of Gideons Bibles in Texas Public Schools: Impact on Students’ Religious Liberty details an investigation launched in response to complaints from parents and students that the Gideons International organization distributed selected books from the Christian Bible in Texas school districts during the 2007‐2008 and 2008‐2009 school years.

  The Texas State Board of Education: A Case of Abuse of Power (2.1 MiB, 480 hits)

The Texas State Board of Education: A Case of Abuse of Power tracks the Board’s long-running abuse of power, which began in the mid-1990s. From manipulating textbook content to inserting personal ideological beliefs into Texas’ curriculum standards, the board has repeatedly shown its inability to place the well-being of Texas’ schoolchildren ahead of its activist agenda.

  Pamphlet – KYR Legislative Prayer 6.20.12 (317.1 KiB, 428 hits)

8-1/2×14, landscape, quad-fold

  Religious Freedom Campaign Summary (504.6 KiB, 416 hits)

The ACLU of Texas Religious Freedom Campaign seeks to defend the rights of all Texans to practice their faiths freely and to protect against government intrusion into matters of faith.

  Know Your Rights: Students’ Religious Rights at School (3.8 MiB, 646 hits)

This Know Your Rights fact sheet on religious freedom in school is intended for students, parents, and teachers who want to understand the status of the current law on prayer in public schools.

  Know Your Rights: The Bible in Texas Public Schools (126.0 KiB, 869 hits)

In Know Your Rights: The Bible in Texas Public Schools we look whether and to what extent religious topics may be taught in public schools is a controversial question that has been debated in communities and litigated in courts in Texas and across the United States.

  Sample Letter to Editor – Religious Freedom (12.5 KiB, 287 hits)

Sample Letter to Editor dealing with religious freedom issues

  Sample Op Ed – Religious Freedom (13.8 KiB, 297 hits)

Sample Op Ed concerning religious freedom issues

  Know Your Rights – Minority Faiths (3.6 MiB, 426 hits)

PowerPoint presentation (in pdf format). Know Your Rights – Minority Faiths.

  Know Your Rights – Minority Faiths in Schools (4.1 MiB, 543 hits)

PowerPoint presentation (in pdf format). Know Your Rights – Minority Faiths in Schools.

  Religious Freedom Campaign Introduction (2.6 MiB, 333 hits)

PowerPoint presentation (in wmv format). Religious Freedom Campaign Introduction.

  Stand Up For Children: SBOE (1.7 MiB, 704 hits)

A parent’s guide to advocacy at the Texas State Board of Education.

  Stand Up For Children: Local School Board (1.5 MiB, 589 hits)

A parent’s guide to advocacy at their local school board.

  Know Your Rights Pamphlet – Religious Dress in Public School (263.2 KiB, 441 hits)

  Know Your Rights Pamphlet – How to File a Grievance in Public School (222.5 KiB, 499 hits)

  Know Your Rights Pamphlet – How to Report Harassment in Public School (340.6 KiB, 445 hits)

  At the Mercy of the Majority (3.9 MiB, 1,713 hits)

2012 Report – At the Mercy of the Majority: Attacks on Religious Freedom in Texas Public Schools in the Decade After Santa Fe v. Doe

  Template – Open Records Request (16.5 KiB, 272 hits)

Template for creating an open records request for your school and/or school board.

Youth Rights

  Youth Rights Campaign Summary (501.1 KiB, 409 hits)

ACLU of Texas Youth Rights Campaign seeks to end the policies and practices that undermine the futures of Texas children. We will work to ensure equality and dignity for all school-age Texans.

  The Basics: Texas School Discipline (1.1 MiB, 404 hits)

A 2 sided pamphlet, The Basics: Texas School Discipline describes the rules regarding school discipline in Texas. One side in English, one side in Spanish.

  Use of Force in Texas Public Schools: The Case for Transparency, Accountability, and Decriminalization (156.9 KiB, 1,372 hits)

Use of Force in Texas Public Schools: The Case for Transparency, Accountability, and Decriminalization documents the need for transparency and accountability in the way police are used in Texas’ public schools.

  Youth Rights Manual in Spanish (1.2 MiB, 641 hits)

A guide about your rights at home, at school and in your community.

  Youth Rights Manual (1.9 MiB, 1,473 hits)

A guide about your rights at home, at school and in your community.

  Youth Rights Manual: Your Rights If You are Arrested or Confined in a Juvenile Facility (485.9 KiB, 307 hits)

The Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees legal rights to “any person” (not just American citizens) charged with committing a crime.

  Know Your Rights: Student Expression and the Day of Silence (21.7 KiB, 391 hits)

Every year, students across the country participate in a National Day
of Silence to raise awareness about the harassment lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students
face all too often in our public schools. To help protect your right to participate in this special day, the
ACLU of Texas has put together this list of five things you need to know about your rights during Day
of Silence

  How to File a Grievance in Public School (32.5 KiB, 409 hits)

The United States Constitution, federal, and state law protect your rights in public school. Your school
administrators, principal, and/or teachers may not always know what the law says, so it is up to you to
learn your rights and stand up for them.

  How to Report Harassment in Public School (33.0 KiB, 414 hits)

You have a right to be safe from harassment at school. In Texas public schools, harassment can
include threats to cause you harm or bodily injury, sexually intimidating conduct, damaging your
property, physically confining or restraining you, or other malicious acts like name-calling that are severe
enough to substantially harm your physical or emotional health or safety.

  Starting a GSA: Helpful Information for High School Students (180.2 KiB, 399 hits)

Gay‐Straight Alliances, or GSAs, are student‐led and student‐organized school clubs that aim to create a safe, welcoming, and accepting school environment for all youth, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. Here are the basic steps to starting a GSA at your school.

  Youth Rights Curriculum: Bullying and Harassment (420.4 KiB, 295 hits)

  Youth Rights Curriculum: Community Activism (617.5 KiB, 273 hits)

  Youth Rights Curriculum: Freedom of Expression (801.7 KiB, 283 hits)

  Youth Rights Curriculum: Immigration and Students’ Rights (485.1 KiB, 274 hits)

  Youth Rights Curriculum: Interacting With Police (391.3 KiB, 302 hits)

  Youth Rights Curriculum: LGBTQ Students’ Rights (1,021.3 KiB, 293 hits)

  Youth Rights Curriculum: Privacy and Access (910.8 KiB, 340 hits)

  Youth Rights Curriculum: Search and Seizure (1.2 MiB, 301 hits)

  Youth Rights Curriculum: Student Ticketing (4.3 MiB, 273 hits)

  Youth Rights Manual: Family Issues (301.2 KiB, 233 hits)

What does it mean to be an emancipated minor? How does a minor become emancipated? What rights will a minor have if the court grants her petition to be emancipated?

  Youth Rights Manual: Freedom from Discrimination (673.7 KiB, 271 hits)

Freedom from discrimination means the equal treatment of individuals despite their differences.

  Youth Rights Manual: Freedom of Expression and Association (658.8 KiB, 416 hits)

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and Article I of the Texas Constitution guarantee the freedom of expression to all citizens, including you!

  Youth Rights Manual: Freedom of Religion (612.5 KiB, 285 hits)

The First Amendment protects your religious freedom through two distinct but equally important clauses.

  Youth Rights Manual: Police Interaction (333.3 KiB, 271 hits)

Do police have the same right to search me as school officials? A police officer at my school stopped me in the hall and started asking me questions. What are my rights? Can a law enforcement officer search my car?

  Youth Rights Manual: Privacy and Access to School Records (288.6 KiB, 297 hits)

What types of information might my school keep in my record? So, are my school records private? Are there any circumstances when my school can release my records without getting consent to do so?

  Youth Rights Manual: Right to Education and Responsibility to Attend (486.0 KiB, 364 hits)

What law guarantees my right to an education? Why are some public schools better than others, even in the same school district? Shouldn’t they all be equal?

  Youth Rights Manual: School and Discipline (463.4 KiB, 360 hits)

Texas law requires school districts to create student codes of conduct that describe what behavior is acceptable for you as a student and what teachers and other educators are permitted to do if you break school rules.

  Youth Rights Manual: Search and Seizure at School (637.3 KiB, 320 hits)

The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution prohibits the unreasonable search and seizure of property by officers of the State – including law enforcement officers and public school officials.

  Youth Rights Manual: Sex Education and Reproductive Health (435.4 KiB, 254 hits)

Like religion, any discussion dealing with sexuality is highly controversial. While our society continues to change its attitude towards sexuality, there are still disagreements over what is appropriate.

  Youth Rights Manual: Specialized Education Rights (440.4 KiB, 215 hits)

Some students have specialized education rights established by statute or in Supreme Court cases.

  Stand Up For Children: SBOE (1.7 MiB, 704 hits)

A parent’s guide to advocacy at the Texas State Board of Education.

  Stand Up For Children: Local School Board (1.5 MiB, 589 hits)

A parent’s guide to advocacy at their local school board.

  Know Your Rights Pamphlet – Religious Dress in Public School (263.2 KiB, 441 hits)

  Know Your Rights Pamphlet – How to File a Grievance in Public School (222.5 KiB, 499 hits)

  Know Your Rights Pamphlet – How to Report Harassment in Public School (340.6 KiB, 445 hits)