News & Commentary

The Jackson Police Department recently announced that it has deployed 60 officers who are now equipped with body-worn cameras (BWCs). While BWCs can serve as a win-win for police departments and the communities they serve, they can only be effective when adopted alongside policies that balance police protection, and citizen privacy. The below statement may be attributed to ACLU of Mississippi Executive Director Jennifer Riley-Collins:

By Ezekiel Edwards, Director, ACLU Criminal Law Reform Project

By Udi Ofer, Deputy National Political Director and Director of Campaign for Smart Justice, ACLU

Mississippi is moving in the right direction with smart justice policies. Lawmakers and Governor Phil Bryant have recognized that Mississippi’s obsession to mass incarceration is too heavy a burden on communities, families, and taxpayers’ pockets. While criminal justice reform bills like HB 585 from 2014 and this year’s HB 387 help to reduce the prison population and make Mississippi safer, we still have a long way to go.

Today, Governor Bryant signed into law House Bill 387, a bipartisan measure designed to improve the criminal justice system in Mississippi. In response, the ACLU of Mississippi issues the following statement, which can be attributed to Jennifer Riley Collins, Executive Director of the ACLU of Mississippi.

By Blake Feldman, Criminal Justice Reform Advocacy Coordinator

By Joshua Tom, ACLU of Mississippi Legal Director

Here's a quick look at the bills that are still alive that we're tracking. For a bill to be on the 'calendar' means that the house of origin is ready to vote on it. If it passes on the floor, then it goes to the other house and through the same committee process.

The below statement can be attributed to ACLU of Mississippi Executive Director Jennifer Riley-Collins: