News & Commentary

Vermont has a new top federal prosecutor, and based on his recent public statements, Vermonters who care about racial justice and police accountability should be concerned.

We all want to live in safe and healthy communities, and our criminal justice policies should be focused on the most effective approaches to achieving that goal. But the current system has failed us.

Although the 2022 legislative session is still several months away, there are ways that you can advance racial justice, privacy rights, criminal legal reform, and other civil rights and civil liberties issues right now.

We saw significant progress on a wide range of issues – voting rights, immigrants’ rights, criminal justice reform, and reproductive freedom, among others. However, there is still significant work left to be done.

The ACLU of Vermont & The Rutland Area NAACP sent a letter to the Bennington Select Board to provide comment on the town's proposed police oversight task force for Bennington Police Department. As proposed, this task force will not lead to meaningful police oversight or much needed change in Bennington's police department. Read or download the letter below to learn more.

The ACLU of Vermont, The Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, and the Women’s Justice and Freedom Initiative are raising concerns about a proposal that would expand Vermont’s correctional system and are calling on decision makers to continue pursuing community-based alternatives.

On April 5, 2021, ACLU of Vermont Executive Director James Duff Lyall participated in a press conference held by Representative Welch in Derby, Vermont regarding the proposed CBP surveillance towers in 8 locations on Vermont's Northern border.

Vermont is overpoliced, and more so every year. That statement may be surprising or even jarring to some, but it is based on a growing body of data collected by Vermont police themselves.

ACLU of Vermont 2021 Mid-Session Update