News & Commentary

According to the new report, A Tale of Two Countries Racially Targeted Arrests in the Era of Marijuana Reform, Indiana ranks 24th in the nation for largest racial disparities in marijuana arrests. The new ACLU report details marijuana possession arrests from 2010 to 2018, updating our unprecedented national report released in 2013, The War on Marijuana in Black and White.

An estimated 4,300 people are monitored daily in Marion County, compared to 2,700 people in all of Chicago's Cook County.

Right now, we are living in some uncertain times. The daily news rolling in is affecting our communities and workplaces with worry and many unanswered questions. So, what now? 

Update: The Indiana Election Commission met on March 23 and enacted no-fault absentee voting. A victory for voters in these uncertain times! More on absentee voting and new primary deadlines here.

As Hoosiers begin to take extra precautions against COVID-19, so too has Indiana state and local government.

In 2018, more than half of the people in Indiana county jails were awaiting trial and had not been convicted of a crime according to Indiana Criminal Justice Institute. Many of them are in jail simply because they cannot afford to buy their way out.

Let’s face it: the last few years have been exhausting. When every day brings a new headline of another rule broken, another norm shattered, another liberty attacked, another person suffering injustice, another tweet, it can become easy to lose sight of just how much we have accomplished, and just how different our country and state would be were it not for the millions of passionate, caring ACLU supporters who fight the good fight each and every day.

The first Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) I attended in Indy was a polite, sedate affair. It was hosted by a big church downtown and just so happened to have zero trans people involved. A preacher said some really kind things about us and about our lost friends and family members. Trans people sat quietly in disconnected little groups scattered among the pews and received these platitudes with reserved grace.  

At the ACLU of Indiana, we rely on help from our supporters to make Indiana a more just and equitable state for all Hoosiers. As critical battles to protect our civil liberties continue, we are grateful to those who take action with us.