This Week in Civil Liberties: CISPA, Owlcatraz and Questionable Promotions
Rachel, April 5, 2013 - 4:05pmEach Friday, we’ll bring you updates on the latest civil liberties news from Maine and the nation. This week, we bring you highlights from the national ACLU Blog of Rights.
What’s Wrong With CISPA | continue reading
What’s Wrong With CISPA | continue reading
Torture Doesn't "Work"
Ryan, January 18, 2013 - 6:47pmMovies are great places to escape into other times, places, lives, and events. And Zero Dark Thirty was exactly that—an alternate reality where torture produces valid, reliable information. Though the thriller was gripping, it should not be mistaken for a completely factual retelling of the information that led to bin Laden’s capture.
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Close Gitmo
Rachel, January 10, 2013 - 1:00pmThis Friday marks 11 years since the United States brought the first men to Guantanamo Bay as prisoners. As ACLU of Maine President John Paterson said in an opinion piece in the Portland Press Herald today:
| continue readingSadly, our collective outrage has ebbed as news from the prison has fallen from the front page. Yet not much has changed, and so we must refuse to become complacent.
Herman's House at Camden International Film Festival
Friday, September 28, 2012 - 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Forty years in solitary confinement, what would you dream of? The injustice of solitary confinement and the transformative power of art are explored in Herman's House, a feature documentary that follows the unlikely friendship between a New York artist and one of America's most famous inmates.
SUPPORTED BY: ACLU of Maine and the Farnsworth Art Museum
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Looking Back on Torture
Caitlin, June 29, 2012 - 3:12pmThis week marked the 25th anniversary of the United Nations Convention Against Torture. The United States is a participant in the Convention, and in honor of the Convention, June 26th is recognized as an International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. | continue reading
Solitary Confinement Dehumanizes Us All - ACLU and Others Urge Congress for Reform
alysia, June 19, 2012 - 11:27amToday, for the first time ever, Congress is holding a hearing to look into the problems created by solitary confinement (listen here for a live stream and here to read testimony submitted to the Subcommittee). The ACLU of Maine and the ACLU National Prison Project have been pushing for reform and reduction of solitary confinement for years, both in Maine and national | continue reading
Stop Solitary
edward, June 19, 2012 - 11:14amWhat do you call placing over 80,000 American prisoners in isolated environments for 22-24 hours a day for months or years or decades causing serious psychological damage that increases recidivism and prison violence and costs upwards of $75,000/annually per inmate?
A complete failure.
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A complete failure.
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The Distress of Solitary Confinement
Ryan, April 6, 2012 - 4:23pmYesterday, our Legal Director Zach Heiden noted that Maine reduced its prison population in solitary confinement by over 70% in 2011. That’s a welcome statistic. In this podcast, Brian Nelson turns that statistic into a personal story about the shock of being released after 23 years in solitary confinement and how everyday occurrences are enough to cause panic.
Not In Our Backyard
zach, April 5, 2012 - 4:06pmOur friend Rev. Rich Kilmer from the National Religious Coalition Against Torture wrote an outstanding blog post on the ACLU site this week, called Solitary Confinement: Torture In Your Backyard. | continue reading
New Ban on Barbaric Use of Solitary Confinement
Jon, March 1, 2012 - 6:18pmGood news came out of Mississippi this week, where a federal court will soon enter a groundbreaking consent decree, believed to be the first of its kind in the nation, banning the horrendous practice of subjecting kids convicted as adults to solitary confinement. The ACLU opposes the use of solitary confinement for people of any age, but it is especially distressing when used against children. | continue reading