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Category: Criminalization of Poverty

SCHR Statement on Senate Bill 63

On the first day of Black History Month, the Georgia State Senate passed SB 63, which is an unconstitutional abridgment of the right to free speech, the presumption of innocence and the prohibition against unreasonable bail.

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Georgia Senate Passes Regressive Bill Targeting Cash Bail and Community Support

On February 1, 2024, the Georgia Senate passed Senate Bill 63. This bill, sponsored by Senator Randy Robertson, raises numerous concerns at the Southern Center and among our organizational partners for its potential to negatively impact criminal legal reform efforts throughout Georgia, specifically within the City of Atlanta and Fulton County.

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Our 2024 Georgia Legislative Priorities

The Southern Center for Human Rights is committed to decriminalizing race and poverty in America’s Deep South and our policy priorities this session reflect that commitment. Read on to learn about our policy priorities, advocacy tools and community advocacy days.

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Eleventh Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Lawsuit Challenging Policies Unlawfully Restricting Access to Basic Utility Services

In May 2017, the Southern Center for Human Rights, along with the National Immigration Law…

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Court-Watching on March 6, 2019, at the Atlanta Municipal Court

At the Southern Center for Human Rights, we’ve used court-watching as a tool for a…

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We Think These Stories Are Important

In 2006, the United States recorded a record high number of newly filed, reopened, or…

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It’s Time to End Illegal “Pay-or-Jail” Sentences at the Atlanta Municipal Court

Today, the Southern Center for Human Rights sent a letter to Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance…

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The Bail Industry Tries, Again, To Overturn Bail Reform in Georgia

This past Monday, a subcommittee of the House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee heard HB 340, a…

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A Call to Action from Executive Director Sara Totonchi Before Super Bowl LIII

Next week, Atlanta will host the Super Bowl.  This will be one of the largest…

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The End of Louisiana’s “Jim Crow Jury”

Last week, Louisiana voted overwhelmingly to abolish non-unanimous jury verdicts – a relic of Jim…

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