This is a cautionary tale that raises alarming questions about the treatment of youthful, mostly nonviolent offenders in Mississippi and elsewhere. And it calls into question the wisdom of turning over the care of these youths, some as young as 13, to private companies that exist solely to turn a profit.
As part of an effort to help teachers educate their students about the importance of being involved in their community and its power to bring positive social change, the SPLC’s Teaching Tolerance project will offer 10,000 teachers a set of free classroom posters promoting this important lesson.
Earlier this year, the Southern Poverty Law Center achieved a major milestone in its campaign to stop the rampant bullying and violence faced by LGBT students, and those students perceived to be LGBT, in school.
Sharron Cohen's case against the Air Force was one of the SPLC’s first major civil rights lawsuits. It turned into a landmark victory in the struggle for women’s rights, altering the legal landscape for women fighting to end gender-based discrimination.
This week, the state that created the blueprint for vicious anti-immigrant laws is going to court. The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case that will decide the constitutionality of Arizona's anti-immigrant law, SB 1070. The court's decision is far greater than a single state's issue.
The Southern Poverty Law Center sent a letter today to the Jefferson County Board of Education in Alabama demanding that the board repeal a policy banning male students from wearing earrings or potentially face a federal lawsuit.
Yesterday, Alabama legislative leaders in the House proved they have learned nothing from their mistakes and that they don’t care at all about the pain and suffering of all Alabamians. They have rushed through a so-called reform bill that will do nothing to alleviate the economic and humanitarian crisis that is gripping our state because of HB 56 – Alabama’s draconian anti-immigrant law. This law harms the economy, runs counter to our fundamental principles of faith and returns Alabama to its dark past of racial hatred and division.
The SPLC came to Arizona to discuss the state's reputation as the epicenter of anti-immigrant hate and as a site of disturbing extremist activity. In 2010, Arizona passed a vicious anti-immigrant law that has served as a blueprint for similar laws in other states where lawmakers are exploiting the nation's anti-immigrant climate.
The Southern Poverty Law Center, in an open letter to members of the Louisiana House, outlined the fiscal and human dangers of House Bill 850, which would allow the state to accept offers for the private purchase and operation of Avoyelles Correctional Center.
The Southern Poverty Law Center and community members urged county leaders at Florida's Hillsborough County Juvenile Justice Task Force meeting today not to adopt juvenile detention policies similar to those of Polk County, where an SPLC lawsuit has been filed against the sheriff who houses children charged as juveniles in an adult jail.
