ACLU of South Carolina

Update on July’s Activities

Thank you for navigating to the ACLU of South Carolina’s Supporter Update on July’s activities. Below, find some highlights of our work over the last month. As always, do not hesitate to reach out to your contact at the ACLU with any questions or concerns. Thank you for making this work possible.

Save the Date

Supporter Briefing on Tuesday, August 24 at 6:30pm – The Status of Prison in South Carolina: America has reached a point of reckoning. In the nation that incarcerates far more people than any other on earth, there is a growing bipartisan consensus that mass incarceration and exorbitant corrections costs are morally and fiscally unsustainable. Folks across the ideological spectrum agree that reforming the American prison system is an imperative. This is even more true in a state like South Carolina.

Our recently published report, Reevaluating Crime and Punishment in South Carolina, documents how South Carolina’s draconian sentencing laws have contributed to the explosive growth of both jail and prison populations and horrific conditions of confinement across our state. On Tuesday, August 24 at 6:30pm, hear directly from report author Shirene Hansotia, Criminal Justice Policy Counsel of the ACLU of South Carolina, about the stories she’s heard from people who are incarcerated, the decisions taken by lawmakers to expand the state’s prison population, and how our elected and corrections officials can build safer and more just communities throughout South Carolina. Register for this supporter-exclusive event here.

In the Courts

Protecting Incarcerated People in Jail: At the outset of the pandemic, we took a number of steps to persuade prison and jail officials to adopt public health guidance and rapidly release from custody those who are most vulnerable to the harmful effects of COVID-19. This was especially important given that the vast majority of people incarcerated in South Carolina’s jails are detained pretrial, meaning that they are in jail simply because they cannot afford their bond. Conditions in the Spartanburg County Detention Center were particularly egregious, so we filed a federal lawsuit aiming to hold the local Sheriff and jail administrator accountable for protecting those in their care.

Last month, we reached a settlement with Spartanburg County Detention Center officials. This settlement secured major concessions for people who are incarcerated in Spartanburg County Detention Center, including a revised jail intake, screening, and testing protocols; access to personal protective equipment for people who are incarcerated, including masks and personal sanitation products; more rigorous social distancing and housing protocols; increased COVID-19 vaccine availability for people who are incarcerated; a series of steps designed to safely reduce the number of people held at the Spartanburg County Detention Center, and more. Check out our press release for more information.

In the Community

Roundtable on Police Reform: In mid-July, we participated in a roundtable hosted by Americans for Prosperity to discuss policing reform in South Carolina. We were joined for this roundtable by individuals and groups from across the political spectrum, including Congresswoman Nancy Mace, Former U.S. Attorney Bill Nettles, the Soteria Community Development Corporation, and others. We discussed a variety of topics including various solutions for building safer and more just communities across South Carolina. Find a recording of the event here.

Response to Solicitor Wilson: Late last month, Charleston County Solicitor Scarlett Wilson announced her office’s decision to not file criminal charges against the jail deputies responsible for the death of Jamal Sutherland at the Charleston County Detention Center. In addition to holding a press conference, Solicitor Wilson released a 23-page memorandum that attempted to justify her decision to not charge the officers who killed Mr. Sutherland.

Soon after this decision, our new Director of Legal Advocacy Allen Chaney participated in a Facebook live event to discuss Solicitor Wilson’s decision not to file charges. He discussed how Wilson’s memo failed to honestly address the ways her office could have held the officers accountable for Mr. Southerland’s death as well as how the Solicitor’s actions in this case provide a clear example of South Carolina’s two-tiered justice system.

Legal Observing in Charleston: Following Charleston County Solicitor Scarlett Wilson’s decision to not charge the officers involved in the death of Jamal Sutherland, a group of community activists held a peaceful protest in downtown Charleston. Troublingly, ACLU of South Carolina Legal Observers who were on-site witnessed the Charleston Police Department respond to a protest about police violence with more police violence. This trend must stop. We will continue to push for accountability and for the City of Charleston and municipalities across the state to meaningfully invest in its people.

New Staff Welcome

Our team is thrilled to welcome Karen Dudley-Culbreath as Director of People and Operations and Allen Chaney as Director of Legal Advocacy!

Karen Dudley-Culbreath brings over 25 years of executive level human resource experience. Most recently, she founded HR Concierge Consulting, LLC., which grew to become an international partner to start-ups, transforming, and mature companies across the globe. Karen’s work has centered around building partnerships and strategies to align people, processes, and policies for organizational innovation and growth. Karen specializes in organizational transformation in the areas of Employee Relations, Performance Management, Succession Planning, Process Optimization, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Karen is a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and holds a Master of Business Administration from Thomas More College in Crestview Hills, KY. She attended Miami University (Oxford, OH) and the University of Cincinnati for her undergraduate years.  

Allen Chaney, a graduate of the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, started his legal career as a deputy public defender for the State of Colorado before moving briefly into private practice where he handled criminal appeals and civil rights cases. In 2018, Allen founded the Greenville-based South Carolina Justice Project, a nonprofit civil rights organization dedicated to bringing lawsuits on behalf of groups and individuals whose rights had been violated by the state criminal justice apparatus (police, jails, prisons, fines/fees, and the like). Since that time, Allen has litigated cases challenging abuses by the South Carolina Department of Corrections, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, and more. 

Welcome, Karen and Allen!

In the Media

Death Penalty:

Reimagining Public Safety:

Reproductive Justice:

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