Research & Publications

As engaged community members, it's important—but often difficult—to stay properly informed on the big issues facing our state. Quick news stories, loaded phrases, and incomplete information aren't enough to get the full picture, and can even leave people more confused.

In this report, we examine how monetary bail in Sedgwick County, Kansas, disproportionately punishes poverty, deepens inequality, and challenges the promise of justice.

Democracy is, at its core, the idea that every person counts and has an equal say in the governance of the nation. Today, that foundational idea is frequently under attack. There are relentless efforts to make it harder for eligible citizens to register to vote, cast a ballot, and have their ballots counted. Beyond the right to vote, politicians consistently advocate for or implement policies of exclusion, isolation, and marginalization, especially towards communities of color, LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, and vulnerable populations. The thread connecting these actions is that they all undermine the values of our democracy by explicitly or implicitly asserting that some people are not fully included in our shared community, that their voices need not be heard, or that they have no role to play in holding government and politicians accountable to the people.

This guidence manual was developed to better support our storytellers and advocates. Storytelling is the glue of our advocacy work and only exists because of brave Kansans like you who speak up!

We have developed this toolkit to help impacted individuals advocate for themselves or family members, including filing for an application for early release through executive clemency on their own behalf. Everyone is more than their worst mistake.

A guide to best practices for engaging your elected officials. Learn more about how to advocate for change with your lawmakers.

A toolkit on gender markers for birth certificates and driver's licenses in both Kansas and Missouri.

Kansans across the political spectrum broadly support a variety of criminal legal system reforms, according to a 2023 poll commissioned for the ACLU of Kansas.

History can instruct us on tomorrow, as well as on yesterday. So, with Kansas’ rich history as a backdrop, the ACLU of Kansas wanted to offer a vision of what Kansas could be.