News & Commentary

The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island today announced the settlement of a federal lawsuit on behalf of Jason Cook, an ACI inmate who, the suit alleged, was the victim of retaliation by prison officials for publicly criticizing RI Department of Corrections’ (DOC) mail policies and seeking legal assistance from the ACLU. Under the settlement, the DOC, while denying any liability, has agreed to pay a total of $7,500 in damages and attorneys’ fees.

The 10-day temporary restraining order granted by a federal judge last week halting the enforcement of the state law prohibiting Level 3 sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet from a school has been extended through at least mid-January.

By Johanna Kaiser, Development & Communications

By Johanna Kaiser, Development and Communications Associate

The ACLU of RI is deeply saddened by the death Alvin J. Bronstein, a lifelong civil rights advocate and founder of the ACLU’s National Prison Project. Mr. Bronstein helped to set minimum constitutional standards for prisons across the country through his tireless legal work with the ACLU. He then went on to fight to reform prison conditions around the world.

The Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles has agreed to provide a written driving test in Italian to an Italian national in need of a language accommodation. In July, the ACLU of Rhode Island filed a federal civil rights complaint on behalf of Danilo Saccoccio, a recent Italian immigrant whom the DMV has barred from taking the written driver’s license exam in any language other than English, Spanish or Portuguese. The complaint, filed with the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, charges the DMV with violating a law that requires agencies receiving federal funding to provide meaningful access to programs and services for individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP).

By Johanna Kaiser, Development & Communications Associate

The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island has called on all school districts that currently have school resource officers (SROs) to re-evaluate their use in the schools and to revise the agreements they have with police departments that set out their job responsibilities. The call was prompted by incidents at Pawtucket’s Tolman High School last week (VIDEO), which reinforced many of the serious concerns the ACLU has long held regarding the routine presence of police officers in schools.