Pennsylvania ACLU

My Friend Should Have Been Released from Prison. Instead, He Died There of COVID-19.

James ‘Bumpy’ Bennett, who had twice survived cancer, was 71 and had served 48 years of his life without parole sentence.

Robert Saleem Holbrook Jun 11, 2020

Pennsylvania Has Few Options to Release Elderly Prisoners as COVID-19 Spreads

Advocates have called on Governor Tom Wolf and state Department of Corrections officials to release elderly and infirm people from state prisons. But the law is limiting how quickly they can move.

Joshua Vaughn Mar 23, 2020

Pennsylvania Public Defenders Not Reinstated Despite Public Outcry Over Firing

Montgomery County Chief Public Defender Dean Beer and Deputy Chief Keisha Hudson were fired last month after filing an amicus brief critical of the county’s bail setting practices.

Joshua Vaughn Mar 06, 2020

Pennsylvania’s Crime Victim Definition Leaves Out Communities Most Affected By Crime

The state’s narrow interpretation gives too much weight to voices that support a punitive criminal legal system, advocates say.

Joshua Vaughn Oct 04, 2019

Progressive Philly D.A. Larry Krasner’s Bail Reform Plans Seem Stalled, Advocates Say

Krasner’s office acknowledges ‘there’s room to move forward and do more.’

Bryce Covert Jun 25, 2019