Criminal Legal System

The ACLU of Utah works to ensure that criminal suspects, defendants, offenders, as well as, incarcerated individuals are afforded their constitutional rights, including due process of the law and the right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment. More specifically, the ACLU of Utah seeks an end to excessively harsh crime policies that result in mass incarceration and stand in the way of a just and equal society. We work to reduce the number of people entering jails and prisons by reforming our nation's punitive drug policies and by challenging police and/or prosecutorial misconduct and any other governmental abuses of power. Additional information about our work can be found on our prison and jails and police practices pages.