Research & Publications

Our September 2026 Youth Behind the Fence brings to light a pattern of traumatization, criminalization, and widening racial inequality in the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice (SCDJJ). The report brings new statistics to light, highlighting the state's ongoing decision to lock up children for nonviolent status offenses and expose them to dangerous conditions. The report concludes with evidence-based policy changes to help some of South Carolina's most vulnerable children turn heal, learn, and turn their lives around.

Deputized for Disaster details how the Trump administration is drastically expanding the federal 287(g) program to transform state and local law enforcement into a national deportation policing force — fueling racial profiling, civil rights violations, and widespread fear in communities across the country. The report examines the impact of 287(g) agreements in nearly two dozen states and finds that the Trump administration’s misuse of the 287(g) program has extended Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) reach into everyday policing. As a result, local officers are being used to carry out “show me your papers” immigration enforcement — often during routine traffic stops — eroding constitutional protections, undermining public safety, and diverting limited local resources away from core law enforcement responsibilities. These actions reflect a broader pattern of abusive and unconstitutional immigration practices by ICE, Border Patrol, and their partner agencies playing out nationwide. For additional information about the 287(g) program and its spread in South Carolina, visit aclusc.org/287g

Over 15 years, The Avery Research Center at the College of Charleston gathered information about racial disparities in Charleston County, and their recently-released report details what they found.