Through advocacy, education and litigation the ACLU of Mississippi defends and protects the constitutional rights of Mississippians across the state. Our office opened in 1969 to protect the rights of Civil Rights workers who were being beaten, arrested and killed for demonstrating against unjust laws and institutionalized discrimination.The ACLU of Mississippi has since expanded its mission to protect all the freedoms outlined in the U.S. Constitution and to guarantee them to everyone.
Since Hurricane Katrina, the ACLU of Mississippi has represented survivors of the storm in criminal and school disciplinary cases. We developed a project called Access To Government to help Gulf Coast citizens to hold local, state and federal government accountable to building an equitable Gulf Coast.
The Mississippi ACLU is also a founding member of the Mississippi Prevention of Schoolhouse To Jailhouse Coalition, working to end the over-incarceration of youth in Mississippi’s training schools and to end unfair school policies and practices that criminalize students.
One of our main projects involves reforming the state’s criminal justice system to fight for more alternatives to incarceration, more rehabilitation services for drug offenses, full restoration of voting rights for people with felony convictions, ending racial profiling as a law enforcement tool and ending the state’s mandatory minimum sentencing law.
Our overarching principles include:
First Amendment rights: Freedom of speech,association and assembly; freedom of the press and freedom of religion
Right to equal protection under the law: Equal treatment regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual identity, national origin, age or physical ability.
Right to due process: Fair treatment by the government whenever the loss of your liberty or property is at stake.
Right to privacy: Freedom from unwarranted government intrusion into your personal and private affairs.
