American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
73
3
"Up" is the number of experts who agree that the nonprofit has had the most impact in the
field. "Down" is the number of experts who disagree that the nonprofit has had the most impact in field.
Headquarters Location: New York, NY
Founded: 1920
Mission: The ACLU is our nation's guardian of liberty, working daily in courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country.
Tags:
litigation, advocacy, public education, reduce incarceration population, prison conditions, prisoner's freedom of relgion, expression, and association, public accountability and transparency
Summary
Stories
Expert Reviews
Leadership
From the Nonprofit
Leadership
Anthony Romero.
Anthony D. Romero is the Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union, the nation's premier defender of liberty and individual freedom. He took the helm of the organization just four days before the September 11, 2001 attacks. Shortly afterward, the ACLU launched its national Safe and Free campaign to protect basic freedoms during a time of crisis, achieving court…
See full bio.
Financial Data
Overhead Ratio:
19.79%
Total Revenue:
$96,049,110
From the Nonprofit
The nonprofit has not added any comments yet. If you are a representative of this nonprofit and would like to leave a comment, please email us at
feedback@myphilanthropedia.org
with your request.
Contact Info
Address:
125 Broad Street, 18th Floor
New York, NY 10004, USA
Twitter:
Story:
In the days following Hurricane Katrina, the public was inundated with stories of personal tragedies that were unfolding day by day in the city of New Orleans and throughout the Gulf Coast region. Some reports were of amazing rescues, but much of the coverage focused on the disaster within the disaster—the thousands of men, women, and children left stranded around New Orleans, in their homes, the Louisiana Superdome, and the Convention Center.
MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Your support helps the ACLU defend prisoners’ rights and a broad range of civil liberties.
Give Now
But just a few miles away from the Superdome and the Convention Center, another disaster within the disaster was developing at Orleans Parish Prison ("OPP"), the New Orleans jail. During the storm, and for several days thereafter, thousands of men, women, and children were abandoned at OPP. As floodwaters rose in the OPP buildings, power was lost, and entire buildings were plunged into darkness. Deputies left their posts wholesale, leaving behind prisoners in locked cells, some standing in sewage-tainted water up to their chests. Over the next few days, without food, water, or ventilation, prisoners broke windows in order to get air, and carved holes in the jail's walls in an effort to get to safety. Some prisoners leapt into the water, while others made signs or set fire to bed sheets and pieces of clothing to signal to rescuers. Once freed from the buildings, prisoners were bused to receiving facilities around the state, where, for some, conditions only got worse. At the Elayn Hunt Correctional Center, thousands of OPP evacuees spent several days on a large outdoor field, where prisoner-on-prisoner violence was rampant and went unchecked by correctional officers. From there, prisoners went to other facilities, where some were subjected to systematic abuse and racially motivated assaults by prison guards.
Expert Reviews of American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
Evidence of Impact Summary:
Through its litigation efforts and advocacy programs, the American Civil Liberties Union Inc. has become a strong and respected national voice in issues pertaining to criminal justice. The ACLU’s National Prison Project has specifically been mentioned for its successful campaigns to increase the respect of prisoners’ rights.See expert comments.
Organization Strengths Summary:
Experts have noted the ACLU’s talented and dedicated leadership, its far-reaching nationwide services, and the high level of respect that it has from other organizations and from government officials as the organization’s primary strengths.See expert comments.
Areas for Improvement Summary:
According to experts, the ACLU could benefit from greater funding, a wider scope of services, and stronger connections with local organizations.See expert comments.
Expert Comments: Evidence of Impact
Select the boxes to display the results according to expert type.
Show:
Show:
X
Foundation Professionals (F)
X
Researchers and Faculty (R)
X
Nonprofit Senior Staff (N)
X
Other (consultants, journalists, policy makers) (O)
Strong National Presence |
|||
|
F
|
The ACLU, nationally and in its chapters, works strategically and consistently on criminal justice issues by providing research, strategy, organizing, and collaboration in many areas. Montana ACLU, for example, has done stellar work on death penalty abolition, and currently the ACLU of Northern CA is working on a re-alignment effort implementing AB109. | ||
|
N
|
They have an affiliate capacity that provides for a presence around the country. | ||
Successful Reform |
|||
|
F
|
Their impact has been public education, legislative advocacy and litigation around sentencing, law enforcement and other criminal justice matters that raise or affect civil liberties (which are just about all of them). In particular, the ALCU has been one of the strongest organizations working in the area of drug law reform and now has turned to the broad issue of over-incarceration in the United States. | ||
|
N
|
The ACLU has been successful in reaching reform victory with regards to crack and powder cocaine sentencing. | ||
|
N
|
The National Prison Project of the ACLU is able to focus on prison and jail conditions through a combination of advocacy and litigation. It therefore has been able to bring about significant improvements in correctional conditions in individual states or localities. At the same time, it has offered a measure of deterrence to those who would violate prisoners' rights. | ||
Effective Litigation |
|||
|
N
|
For almost 40 years the ACLU's National Prison Project has lead efforts to improve conditions of confinement for prisoners through litigation. Their work has changed the face of prison culture and has literally saved the lives of thousands of prisoners. Also, the ACLU brand is highly visible and its research and positions generally get good attention in the mainstream press. Therefore, their message and positions can be communicated to a larger audience. | ||
|
N
|
The ACLU has been influential with litigation and legislative lobbying efforts. | ||
|
O
|
The ACLU has had a long history of broad-based litigation on prison issues and has provided leadership on national policy issues. | ||
|
N
|
The ACLU has had an impact on criminal justice litigation, particularly in the realm of prisoner health care. | ||
|
O
|
The NPP has been litigating high-impact prison reform litigation for decades in an ever-shifting and more difficult legal terrain. They employ very dedicated expert lawyers who are well-versed in policy and litigation landscape affecting their work and the lives of prisoners around the country. They continue to litigate aggressively and achieve good results despite the legal and statutory obstacles to winning prison litigation cases that Congress and courts have erected in the last fifteen years. | ||
|
N
|
Through litigation, they change prison conditions for the better. | ||
Raises Awareness |
|||
|
F
|
It's difficult to be specific about the ACLU's impact since the its long standing ability to uphold basic rights on multiple fronts is what makes it one of the foremost rights organizations in the country. One outstanding contribution by the ACLU is the Human Rights Program and its contributions to advancing the understanding of domestic human rights and connecting human rights principles to justice issues as a part of ongoing practice. | ||
Global Perspective |
|||
|
N
|
The ACLU has a global perspective on criminal justice issues, spanning from constitutional issues to political campaigns. | ||
Consistent Work |
|||
|
N
|
The ACLU has had many years of consistent work. | ||
Strong Advocacy Programs |
|||
|
O
|
The ACLU is the preeminent voice on issues of civil liberty ranging from the protection of privacy rights and the right to due process of law to efforts to prevent the infliction of cruel and unusual punishment. One initiative of the ACLU is of particular importance - the National Prison Project, which is the only prisoner advocacy organization of national scope in the U.S. The Project has been involved in many landmark cases which established minimum constitutional standards for the care and treatment of incarcerated people. | ||
|
O
|
The NPP coordinates efforts nationally to help impact and shape criminal justice policies in Congress. They also develop and distribute helpful advocacy materials. | ||
High-Quality Legal Representation |
|||
|
N
|
The Capital Representation Program of the ACLU is having an enormous nation-wide impact on the quality of representation of defendants facing the possibility of the death penalty. Through direct representation, consulting, training, and mentorship, this program has a huge impact on establishing and maintaining the standards of care among capital defense teams. They have a particular focus on cases involving the mentally ill. They support underfunded capital litigators through assistance, consultation, and also amici briefs on critical issues. | ||
Willing to Take on Difficult Positions |
|||
|
N
|
They have a unique chapter-based network with national support. In many less-resourced areas, the state ACLU chapter may be among the few (or only) voices pushing back against totalitarian tendencies. They are not afraid to take the unpopular position (such as legal rights of sex offenders). | ||
Expert Comments: Organization Strengths
Select the boxes to display the results according to expert type.
Show:
Show:
X
Foundation Professionals (F)
X
Researchers and Faculty (R)
X
Nonprofit Senior Staff (N)
X
Other (consultants, journalists, policy makers) (O)
Excellent Leadership |
|||
|
F
|
The ACLU has had consistent excellence in leadership (Anthony Romero nationally, Scott Crichton in Montana, Abdi Soltani in Northern California). They are dedicated to carrying out the mission of the organization, even when the going gets tough. | ||
|
N
|
The criminal justice program under Vanita Gupta is making many strategic reforms. | ||
|
N
|
The ACLU has a presence in every state and has brilliant and dedicated staff and volunteers. | ||
|
O
|
Equipped with a very strong staff, the ACLU is a national leader on these issues. | ||
|
O
|
Amy Fettig and David Fathi are very committed and excellent leaders. They are extremely knowledgeable and good at connecting with local organizations | ||
Strong National Network of State Affiliates |
|||
|
F
|
The ACLU attracts exceptionally able people at all levels and job functions, but I feel that the organization's greatest strength comes from its national network of state affiliates and issue organized national projects. It, of course, also has a rich history and the status (and baggage) that goes along with having a long and sometimes controversial past. | ||
Skillful Communication and Messaging |
|||
|
N
|
The organization's size and affiliate structure allows it to be particularly effective in communicating its message and advancing justice reform in multiple venues. They have recently made a big investment and launched a ambitious campaign to address mass incarceration and are positioning themselves as leaders in the movement for justice reform. | ||
Responsive and Accountable to the Public |
|||
|
F
|
Despite being such a large organization, the ACLU is responsive and nimble. It also is very successful in tailoring its communications to capture a wide audience in support of challenging or controversial issues. | ||
Well-Respected and Influential Organization |
|||
|
N
|
The ACLU has significant resources, high name recognition and skilled staff. | ||
|
O
|
The organization, and particularly the National Prison Project, has excellent leadership and expertise and is widely recognized and relied upon by both correctional professionals and prisoner advocates, alike. | ||
|
N
|
The National Prison Project (of the ACLU) has the influence of being affiliated with a respected and venerable organization. | ||
|
O
|
NPP has a very strong staff and very good connections on Capitol Hill and with other national and local organizations. They are very good at consulting even when they cannot do direct litigation themselves. | ||
Wide Reach |
|||
|
N
|
They represent individuals in multiple states and jails, which is rare for litigators about prisoner rights. They get complaints from inmates throughout the country. | ||
|
N
|
They have leadership in their national offices and in some states that have worked for years on various issues related to criminal justice. | ||
Clear Vision |
|||
|
N
|
This organization has a clear mission and a great staff. | ||
Impressive Litigation Team |
|||
|
N
|
The litigation team is phenomenal and has had remarkable success stepping in to litigate difficult capital cases that otherwise would have been lost. | ||
Wealth of Experience |
|||
|
N
|
The ACLU has high experience and leadership. | ||
Expert Comments: Areas for Improvement
Select the boxes to display the results according to expert type.
Show:
Show:
X
Foundation Professionals (F)
X
Researchers and Faculty (R)
X
Nonprofit Senior Staff (N)
X
Other (consultants, journalists, policy makers) (O)
Organizational Leadership |
|||
|
F
|
It has seemed to me that the organization's leadership has sometimes been too process oriented when circumstances called for a less census-oriented result and, paradoxically, been secretive when a more transparent decision-making process might have been more helpful. The organization also sometimes lets itself be personality-driven, which can be problematic. | ||
Avoid Bureaucracy |
|||
|
N
|
The organization can be overly bureaucratic and responding to events can be slow because it requires too much procedure to navigate. They need to be more flexible and not require so much micromanagement of staff. | ||
Fair Distribution of Resources |
|||
|
F
|
Due to funding, some ACLU chapters are stronger than others. The Leading Freedom Forward campaign should address this to some degree, but equality of capacity and resources (and centralized support) should be a priority for the long term. | ||
Better Recognition |
|||
|
N
|
They would be more successful with better recognition among the general public. | ||
Greater Funding |
|||
|
O
|
They could use more funding and more organizational development. | ||
|
O
|
They can use more staff and more funding so that they can do more litigation. In recent years their resources have been limited. | ||
Greater Diversity |
|||
|
N
|
They need to include more Latinos and Native Americans. | ||
More Collaboration with Local Organizations |
|||
|
O
|
The ACLU, including the National Prison Project, does outstanding work. If there is any basis for criticism at all, it would be that a more collaborative approach may sometimes be a more effective means of accomplishing objectives. | ||
|
O
|
If they had additional funding, conducting advocacy trainings for local organizations would be great. | ||
Increase Scope |
|||
|
N
|
They could expand to allow more direct representation. | ||
|
N
|
They could seek damages in cases and do statewide medical cases. | ||
Stronger Internal Organization |
|||
|
N
|
At times, its staff does not collaborate as much as I believe would be useful with other advocacy and litigation organizations. | ||
Leadership
Anthony Romero
Executive Director
Executive Director
From the Nonprofit
The nonprofit has not added any comments yet. If you are a representative of this nonprofit and would like to leave a comment, please email us at
feedback@myphilanthropedia.org
with your request.