Race and Poverty | Equal Justice Initiative

In America, nearly one out of every three black men in their twenties is in jail or prison, on probation or parole, or otherwise under criminal justice control. Black men are eight times more likely to be incarcerated than white men. Without reform, it is estimated that 40% of the black male population in the State of Alabama will permanently lose the right to vote as the result of a criminal conviction.

During the last 30 years, mass incarceration policies have devastated poor and minority communities. Disenfranchisement of offenders and the erection of permanent barriers for employment and re-entry have created a growing underclass of largely poor people.

EJI is committed to challenging racially discriminatory policies, sentencing, and tactics that have made mass imprisonment a crisis in many communities of color. Indigent defense reform and providing legal assistance to the poor is vital to alleviate the problems caused by unfair criminal justice policies. EJI addresses these issues through education, community outreach efforts, litigation, and policy reform.

News

EJI Director Awarded Prestigious NAACP Ming Award for Advocacy

July 12, 2010

Today in Kansas City, Missouri, the NAACP awarded EJI Director Bryan Stevenson the William Robert Ming Award for Advocacy at the opening plenary session of its 101st National Convention. The award is one of the NAACP’s highest honors for professionals in the legal field and was presented to Mr. Stevenson for the work of the Equal Justice Initiative, which this year has issued a major report documenting illegal racial discrimination in jury selection, led a successful effort in the United States Supreme Court to abolish life imprisonment without parole sentences imposed on juveniles, provided critical legal assistance to condemned prisoners on death row and prisoners wrongly convicted or illegally sentenced, and aided many others facing unfair and unjust treatment in the criminal justice system.

Racial Discrimination in Jury Selection Remains Widespread, According to New EJI Study

June 22, 2010

Update: Civil rights leaders, community organizations, and policymakers are responding to EJI's report calling for enforcement of anti-discrimination law in jury selection.

Nearly 135 years after Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1875 to eliminate racial discrimination in jury selection, people of color continue to be excluded from jury service because of their race, especially in serious criminal trials and death penalty cases. EJI on June 1, 2010, released a new report, “Illegal Racial Discrimination in Jury Selection: A Continuing Legacy,” which is the most comprehensive study of racial bias in jury selection since the United States Supreme Court tried to limit the practice in Batson v. Kentucky in 1986.

EJI's Public Education Efforts Featured on PBS

April 5, 2010

Bryan Stevenson, right, on Bill Moyers Journal on PBS.

On April 2, 2010, EJI's Bryan Stevenson discussed the status of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s vision of economic justice on PBS's Bill Moyers Journal. Watch it here.

Also this week, PBS will broadcast the critically-acclaimed film, The Dhamma Brothers. EJI supported the Dhamma Brothers project and film.

Capital Murder Charges Dropped in Case of Mother Accused in Death of Newborn

February 2, 2010

Marsha Colby, pictured with two of her six children in 1997, prior to being falsely accused of killing her seventh child at birth.

Capital murder charges filed against Marsha Colby in the death of her infant son have been dismissed and the case resolved on reduced charges in light of new forensic evidence.

EJI Encourages Supporting Relief Efforts in Haiti Through Partners in Health

January 14, 2010

EJI urges our supporters to contact our sister organization Partners in Health (PIH) which is coordinating emergency services for the victims of the hugely destructive earthquake that hit Haiti on January 12, 2010. PIH is on the ground in Haiti and is one of the most effective health care providers in impoverished settings in the world. PIH is already in Haiti leveraging the skills of more than 120 doctors and nearly 500 nurses and nursing assistants who work at its health clinic sites in Haiti. To help PIH respond to the crisis in Haiti, click here.

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