Civil Rights Corps

Our Work - Civil Rights Corps

Need more reasons to give? Explore the breadth and depth of our work using this map: civilrightscorps.org/our-work/

Civil Rights Corps | Official Merchandise | Bonfire Challenging everyday injustice & transforming everyday thinking.

Looking for another way to support? We just launched our first collection of merch! We have t-shirts, hoodies, and crewnecks available in multiple colors and sizes, including youth sizes. And tote bags as well!

Order by Dec 6th & your merch should arrive by Dec 25th: www.bonfire.com/store/civil-...

It's Giving Tuesday. Support Civil Rights Corps' work this year. bit.ly/crc-donate

✨It's Giving Tuesday✨ This year, consider donating to Civil Rights Corps! CRC is committed to our fight to dismantle the systems that punish and cage our communities, but with the increased attacks on nonprofits, we need your support.

Donate here: bit.ly/crc-donate

If you order by Dec 6th, your merch should arrive by the 25th.

Stressed out about holiday shopping? Don't worry, we can help. Our new CRC t-shirts, hoodies, and totes will make perfect gifts! bit.ly/crc-shop [pictures of a t-shirt, hoodie, and tote that say Challenge Everyday Injustice]

Are you looking for a holiday gift for someone who loves defending civil rights? Well, you're in luck! CRC just launched our first merch collection!

Get your CRC tees, hoodies, and totes here: bonfire.com/store/civil-rights-corps

We @civrightscorps.bsky.social fight constitutional cases to re-sensitize our society to the everyday brutality of the punishment bureaucracy. Support us, we need your help now more than ever because a lot of large donors are abandoning us. civilrightscorpsorg.secure.nonprofitsoapbox.com/donate

This lawsuit was filed by @publicjustice.bsky.social, Civil Rights Corps, Maxted Law, LLC, Spero Justice Center, Singleton Schreiber, LLP and the National Center for Youth Law. 6/

Right to Hug Every year, millions of children can’t hug their parents because of corporate greed. Jails across the United States have stopped allowing children to visit their parents for free, forcing families to ...

This is the third lawsuit filed as part of the Right 2 Hug Project.

We all have a right to hug our family. 5/ www.right2hug.org

Profiteering off family separation is wrong.

“More than one-third of families with incarcerated relatives go into debt to cover the cost of staying in touch, and poor, low-income, Black, and brown families disproportionately bear this financial burden.” - Matt Garcia, attorney at CRC. 4/

Adams County, Colorado has banned all forms of family visitation in the jail since at least 2006. Our lawsuit alleges that the Sheriff, through the Board of County Commissioners, contracted with private prison telecom company HomeWAV to profit from this visitation ban. 3/

Over the last decade, hundreds of jails across the United States have eliminated in-person family visits, forcing families to pay for expensive phone and video calls, while for-profit, carceral telecom companies profit. 2/

Defending Children’s Right to Hug Their Parents in Adams County - Civil Rights Corps E.L. et al. v. Claps et al. Our lawsuit argues that children whose parents are detained at the Adams County Detention Facility have a fundamental right to familial association under the Colorado Const...

🔔 NEW CASE: This week, we filed a lawsuit on behalf of children in Adams County, Colorado, who are fighting for their right to hug their jailed parents. 🧵https://civilrightscorps.org/case/defending-childrens-right-to-hug-their-parents-in-adams-county/

Maryland families deserve support, not punishment.

Proud to join 19 other orgs on an amicus brief in solidarity with Mrs. C: bit.ly/amicus-maryland

RSVP for an upcoming convening led by systems-impacted organizers to confront the harms of Baltimore’s family policing system: bit.ly/cradle-to-cage

Maryland’s Parent Trap: Baltimore Mother Punished After Using Safe Haven Law Designed to Protect Her - Civil Rights Corps Civil Rights Organizations and Leaders File Amicus Brief Defending Parents’ Right to Access the Safe Haven Law Without Liability

Ms. C's case is being litigated by the Maryland Office of the Public Defender (OPD). Read more about it here:

CCSH Website

Maryland families deserve support, not punishment.

RSVP for Cradle to Cage, Seeds of Hope, a convening led by systems-impacted organizers to confront the harms of Baltimore’s family policing system. 11/

..Using MD's safe haven law as a basis for a neglect finding will endanger maternal & infant health, especially for Black birthing people who already experience worse maternal health outcomes. No one should fear legal consequences for seeking help or seeking care.” -Dr. Jamila Perritt, @prh.org 10/

Physicians and organizations advancing reproductive justice have filed additional amicus briefs in support of the petition.

"Safe haven laws, while imperfect, are one of the few pieces of social infrastructure in place to support postpartum persons and their newborns...

Tying Maryland’s Safe Haven Law to family policing puts already marginalized families at greater risk of harm.

"In recent years, the rate of Black children entering the foster system in Maryland was over two times the rate of white children." - Miriam Mack, @movfamilypower.bsky.social 8/

“Fear of a [family policing case] will deter parents from using Safe Havens, putting the health of postpartum people and infants back at heightened risk—the exact harm the law was meant to prevent.” - Adina Marx-Arpadi, @ccrjustice.org 7/

Ms. C appealed her case, but the Appellate Court of Maryland upheld the neglect finding. Now, Ms C. is petitioning the Maryland Supreme Court to intervene. CRC, @movfamilypower.bsky.social, @ccrjustice.org, and 16 other orgs & movement leaders filed an amicus brief in support of Ms. C's petition. 6/

“By breaking the promise of immunity from civil and criminal liability, Maryland courts have created a no-win situation where parents are punished no matter what they do. It’s the perfect parent trap.” - Alexa Richardson, Civil Rights Corps 5/

Ms. C should have been protected – but still, the family police punished her.

“The Safe Haven Law was supposedly made to help parents and children. I trusted it and then they penalized me when I tried to use it.” - Ms. C. 4/

In 2024, Ms. C turned to Maryland’s Safe Haven Law for help after giving birth to twins.

Believing she did not have the resources to continue parenting her babies, Ms. C did exactly what the law promised she could: she left her healthy, unharmed, newborn babies in the care of a hospital. 3/

Safe haven laws were created to protect the health of birthing people & infants during the vulnerable postpartum period. These laws allow postpartum people to legally & anonymously leave newborns at a “safe haven”– like a hospital – without fear of criminal or civil punishment. 2/

MARYLAND’S PARENT TRAP: Maryland’s Safe Haven Law promised protection. Baltimore’s family police punished a mama anyway.

In Maryland, a law that was meant to keep birthing people and newborns safe has now been used to create the ultimate parent trap.

The Safe Haven Law promised protection – but Baltimore’s family police punished a mama anyway. 🧵

We're hiring: Investigative Fellows - Summer 2026 Investigative Fellows work collaboratively with case teams in support of complex civil rights litigation in federal and state courts. Their work varies and pulls on the skills of an investigator and paralegal, and will often involve working closely with and supporting local organizers and their campaigns. They are a crucial part of our impact litigation and advocacy challenging mass human caging and other injustices within the criminal legal system. This is an entry-level two-year position at CRC. Deadline: Rolling with priority for applications submitted before October 29, 2025 Learn more on our website: civilrightscorps.org/join-our-team

📣 WE'RE HIRING: Investigative Fellows

🗓️ Start date: Summer 2026
🗓️ Application deadline: Rolling with priority for applications submitted before October 29, 2025

🔗 Learn more about the position: civilrightscorps.org/investigativ...

We're Hiring: Summer 2026 Litigation Interns (2L) Summer interns will have a unique opportunity to work on cutting-edge civil rights cases in a fast-paced environment. Interns will work closely with Civil Rights Corps staff to investigate and challenge systemic injustice in the criminal legal system. Deadline: Rolling with priority for applications submitted before September 8, 2025 Learn more on our website: civilrightscorps.org/join-our-team

We're looking for Summer 2026 Litigation Interns! Learn more about the internship and find out how to apply here: civilrightscorps.org/summer-2026-litigation-interns-2l/

We are @civrightscorps.bsky.social have pioneered landmark constitutional challenges to the unsafe and unjust cash bail system for a decade. Our work saves lives, protects liberty, and is more important than ever.

White text on a blue background reading: copaganda how police and the media manipulate our news a discussion with Alec Karakatsanis September 18, 2025, 6-9pm

Toronto! Join the Community Justice Collective on Sept 18th for a conversation about Copaganda with @equalityalec.bsky.social, lawyer, author, and founder of @civrightscorps.bsky.social
Tickets and more info here: www.eventbrite.ca/e/copaganda-...

Breaking through the Noise: Telling Our Stories about Family & Safety How can we reclaim the media narrative around the child welfare system, and discuss real safety options for families? Featuring: Alexis Taylor, Managing Editor, AFRO News Natasha Khalfani, Senior Attorney, MD Office of the Public Defender, Better Together Program Sam Collins, Staff Writer, Washington Informer Event details: Wednesday, August 20, 2025 6:00 - 7:30 PM The Food Project, 424 S Pulaski St, Baltimore, MD 21223 RSVP: bit.ly/mediawrkshp

Join us Aug 20th for a discussion on how we can breakthrough the noise and reclaim the media narrative around the child welfare system!

🗓️ Aug 20th
⏰ 6-7:30 PM
📍424 S Pulaski St, Baltimore

🔗 RSVP here: bit.ly/mediawrkshp