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

Alabama Black Belt Residents Allege Discriminatory Placement of a Toxic Landfill

January 10, 2012

Residents of Uniontown, Alabama, in rural Perry County filed a civil rights complaint last week against the Alabama Department of Environmental Management for permitting the Arrowhead Landfill - located in a majority-African American community - to take coal ash and other waste from majority-white communities that is hazardous to residents' health.

Alabama's Immigration Law Results in Arrest of Foreign Business Leaders

December 1, 2011

Business and economic development leaders in Alabama have joined calls for reform of the state's immigration law after a Tuscaloosa police officer arrested a Mercedes-Benz manager because he did not have his driver's license with him. The arrest of a German executive from the company that launched Alabama's thriving auto industry and is poised to expand its sizeable operations in Tuscaloosa County has prompted some lawmakers to acknowledge that the law has had "unintended consequences" and needs reform.

Justice Department Investigating Alleged Civil Rights Violations in Alabama Schools

November 22, 2011

The Department of Justice is investigating whether Alabama's new immigration bill is denying children equal access to public education based on their immigration status, in violation of federal anti-discrimination and civil rights laws. Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange responded to the inquiry by questioning the Justice Department's legal authority to monitor and enforce federal law.

Disenfranchisement of the Formerly Incarcerated Remains Serious Problem in Alabama

November 14, 2011

The State of Alabama continues to deny the right to vote to citizens who have served and completed sentences for felony convictions. Alabama's disenfranchisement rate of one in 14 residents is triple the national average.

African Americans Illegally Barred From Serving on Juries Sue Alabama Prosecutor Over Racial Discrimination

October 24, 2011

On October 19, 2011, the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) filed a civil rights lawsuit contending that District Attorney Douglas Valeska has illegally excluded qualified African Americans from serving on Houston and Henry County, Alabama, juries in serious felony cases, especially capital cases, for decades. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of African Americans who were barred from serving on juries after being summoned to court, was filed in the federal district court in Montgomery, Alabama, and alleges violations of the U.S. Constitution and federal anti-discrimination laws.

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