Criminal Legal Reform

Our criminal justice system is broken.

Over the past few decades, our elected leaders have increasingly focused on tough penalties that do not deter crime and do nothing to help increase public safety. Instead, it has created a system of mass incarceration, over-criminalization, and racial injustice.

collage with prison bars, justice scale and gavel

Through our work, the ACLU of North Dakota advocates for the constitutional and civil rights of those impacted by criminal legal systems. We use litigation and advocacy to confront systemic government conduct that fuels the carceral state and police abuse, and oppresses people based on race, class, and other characteristics. The ACLU does this work because everyone suspected, accused, or convicted of a crime deserves dignity, fairness, and an opportunity to thrive. Ultimately, we seek to shift power to under-resourced communities and to elevate approaches to justice and safety that advance fundamental rights for all.

The Latest

News & Commentary
The silhouette of a hand holding on to a gate.

A Mistake Shouldn’t Mean Exile or Prolonged Mandatory Detention

Nyynkpao Banyee arrived in the U.S. as a child refugee from Côte D’Ivoire in 2004. Despite his deep roots in the U.S., he is facing mandatory immigration detention and possible deportation from his family and the only home he has known.
News & Commentary
911 digits on a mobile screen.

911: Reimagining a System that Defaults to Dispatching Police

Emergency response systems must be revamped to equip 911 call-takers to dispatch non-police first responders.
Know Your Rights
image of the statue of justice

An Overview to a Typical Civil Suit in North Dakota

This overview is designed to help you understand what is happening in court and what you might need to do.
News & Commentary
Demonstrators dressed like Guantanamo Bay detainees, hold a banner asking to close Guantanamo.

20 Years Later, Guantánamo Remains a Disgraceful Stain on Our Nation. It Needs to End.

Now it’s up to President Joe Biden to fulfill his pledge to finally close Guantánamo.