Research & Publications

Publication
Nov 19, 2019
People setting fire to a bill at a protest against criminal system fees
  • Economic Justice

Costs of Injustice: How Criminal System Fees Are Hurting Los Angeles County Families

Publication
Oct 24, 2019
Photos from left to right, top to bottom: A young girl, a woman and a man at an awards ceremony, a woman at a protest rally holding up her fist, a woman smiling into the camera, a young boy smiling and looking off camera. We Are ACLU SoCal 2019 Annual Rep

Annual Report 2018 - 2019

Though it is our court cases that often make headlines, we have always been driven by people power, and we're looking for ways to grow it. We're investing new resources into a volunteer structure that will greatly strengthen our impact, including a leadership program for community activists to
Publication
Sep 26, 2019
The Right to Know: How to Fulfill the Public's Right of Access to Police Records
  • First Amendment and Democracy|
  • +1 Issue

The Right to Know: How to Fulfill the Public's Right of Access to Police Records

Publication
Jun 18, 2019
An execution chamber with a lethal injection table with straps
  • Criminal Justice and Drug Policy Reform

District Attorney Jackie Lacey's Shameful Death Penalty Record

This report reveals troubling racial bias, unfairness, and overuse of the death penalty in Los Angeles under District Attorney Jackie Lacey's watch. Los Angeles voters have repeatedly rejected the death penalty at the ballot box, yet DA Lacey has continued to seek the death penalty in capital trials
Publication
May 22, 2019
Toxic Treatment: The Abuse of Tear Gas Weapons in California Juvenile Detention
  • Criminal Justice and Drug Policy Reform

Toxic Treatment: The Abuse of Tear Gas Weapons in California Juvenile Detention

Publication
Apr 2, 2019
Serving Students Hidden in Plain Sight: How California's Public Schools Can Better Support Students Experiencing Homelessness
  • Education Equity|
  • +1 Issue

Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness

Publication
Mar 14, 2019
A handwritten page of somebody's journal, with title text that reads: "This Place is Slowly Killing Me: Abuse and Neglect in Orange County Emergency Shelters"
  • Houselessness|
  • +1 Issue

'This Place is Slowly Killing Me:' Abuse and Neglect in Orange County Emergency Shelters

Orange County, in the midst of a dire homelessness crises, opened emergency shelters, giving hope to those who were living in punishing conditions on the streets. But what once was a symbol of hope has become a nightmare for many residents. A year-long investigation by the ACLU SoCal uncovered
Publication
Nov 29, 2018
silhouette of people, including police officers in the foreground, a police car with lights in the background
  • Police Practices

Towards Accountability: Overcoming LAPD’s Flawed Disciplinary Process

Los Angeles, home to one of the largest police forces in the nation, has struggled with this question for decades, and has yet to settle on an answer that regularly ensures that officers who commit serious misconduct receive serious discipline.
Publication
Nov 20, 2018
Annual Report 2018 ACLU of Southern California. Image of a group of people marching in the Los Angeles Pride Parade, the people in the front holding a blue flag with a pink and blue ACLU heart on it.

Annual Report 2017 - 2018

With gratitude for your generosity, we are excited to celebrate our affiliate's 95th anniversary with you. The outpouring of public support for the ACLU's mission is a vote of confidence from millions of individuals across the country that we take very seriously, and honor through our dedicated