Criminal Justice and Mass Incarceration

Nineteen year old incarcerated at East Carroll Detention Center.

Since our inception in the 1960’s, when our attorneys defended protestors at the Chicago Democratic National Convention, CCR has been at the forefront of criminal justice issues such as mass incarceration, jail expansion, and challenging unjust detentions. In a country that puts more people in jail than any other country in the world, we will continue to fight the mass incarceration of millions in our nation’s prison system, as well as challenge practices such as racial profiling, immigrant detention, and discriminatory laws that lead to a disproportionate number of people of color behind bars.

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Pass the Anti-Torture Bill in New York

In April, the Bush administration’s “torture memos” as well as reports by the Senate Armed…

The New York Campaign for Telephone Justice

Single-carrier collect call systems are the norm for telephone service in prisons across the United…

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Pay or Be Silent: Families Survive the High Price of Prison Telephone Rates

Issued October 2009 by the New York Campaign for Telephone Justice Introduction Starting in 1996 the New…

Report: Racial Disparity in NYPD Stop and Frisks

On September 9, 2008, the United States District Court in Manhattan ordered the New York…

Our Cases »

Center for Constitutional Rights v. Pittsburgh (Taser case)

In 2007, the CCR filed a lawsuit against the City of Pittsburgh and various City Police officers alleging that the Pittsburgh police unconstitutionally used TASERS against peaceful demonstrators at an anti-war demonstration in Pittsburgh. The…

State of Louisiana v. Wallace (New Orleans First Appearances)

CCR filed an amicus brief to the Louisiana Supreme Court in State of Lousiana v. Wallace, 200-KK-1621. The amicus was the result of a campaign and survey coordinated by CCR to observe every New Orleans…

OBAMA: One Year Later. Change?

      A year ago, hopes ran high that a newly -elected President Obama would undo the shameful legacy of the Bush Administration - - a legacy that includes torture, preventative detention, and rendition policies; private military contractors who abuse human rights… Read More >>

CCR Challenges Legality of Prison Telephone Rates Before NY Court of Appeals

October13, 2009, Albany, NY – Today, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) challenged the legality of prison phone rates in oral arguments before the Court of Appeals of the State of New York, the highest court in the state. The… Read More >>

Daniels, et al. v. the City of New York

In 1999, CCR filed a class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York to challenge the NYPD’s policy of conducting stop-and-frisks without reasonable suspicion of criminal activity as required by the Fourth Amendment.… Read More >>

Muntaqim v. Coombe (amicus)

Jalil Abdul Muntaqim, an African American serving a life sentence in the custody of the New York, challenged the Section 5-106 under the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Read More >>

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