Resources

  Criminal Law Reform Campaign Summary (189.5 KiB, 54 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, 47 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, 30 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, 31 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, 24 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, 59 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 Campaign Summary (519.7 KiB, 46 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, 44 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, 44 hits)

English Version, Page 1 of 2

  Know Your Rights: If Immigration, Police, or FBI Officers Try to Enter Your Home (unknown, 53 hits)

Spanish Version, Page 1 of 2

  Know Your Rights: If Immigration, Police, or FBI Officers Try to Enter Your Home (unknown, 44 hits)

Spanish Version, Page 2 of 2

  Know Your Rights: If Immigration, Police, or FBI Officers Try to Enter Your Home (unknown, 37 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, 54 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, 42 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.

  Distribution of Gideons Bibles in Texas Public Schools (478.3 KiB, 72 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, 35 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.

  Religious Freedom Campaign Summary (504.6 KiB, 32 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, 28 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, 29 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.

  Youth Rights Campaign Summary (501.1 KiB, 29 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, 33 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, 91 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, 38 hits)

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

  Youth Rights Manual (1.6 MiB, 66 hits)

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

  Know Your Rights: Student Expression and the Day of Silence (21.7 KiB, 24 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, 22 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, 33 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, 18 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.