ACLU analyzes criminal justice

Conference held at U. Law School over weekend O.J. Simpson, the death penalty and the American criminal justice system in general were all on trial at a conference held by the American Civil Liberties Union's Greater Philadelphia Branch an the University's Law School yesterday. These recent controversies and others pose serious questions about the fairness of the United States judicial system, speakers said. And the ACLU is at the forefront of the battle for true justice, according to ACLU board member David Rudovsky, an associate law professor. Up until recently, serious violations of civil liberties have been prevented because of the U.S. legislature's system of checks and balances, Rudovsky said. But now, times have changed. "The 1994 elections brought a reactionary Congress," Rudovsky said. "If you look at the table of recent legislation, you'll see they're anxious to dismantle civil liberties." Rudovsky has served as local counsel to Mumia Abu-Jamal, the radio journalist who now sits on death row after being convicted of murdering a Philadelphia Police officer. He said this controversial case "lies at the cross section" of civil liberties violations. "There are very serious concerns about Mumia's conditions of confinement?his rights to meet with the press, to confidentially communicate with his attorneys, and even to write a book," Rudovsky said. He added that Abu-Jamal's case has spawned controversial questions about racism in the criminal justice system -- particularly about the possibility of skewed jury selection. Rudovsky also discussed the effectiveness of court-appointed counsel. Many attorneys, he said, are ill- prepared to aid in their clients' defenses due to restricted state funding. "To successfully defend a case where a police department has great resources, you may need a minimum of $25,000 to $30,000," Rudovsky said. "Defenses are often restricted to $1,200." He then blasted the death penalty. Its implementation is "inevitably arbitrary and inextricably tied to questions of race or questions of poverty," he said. "The poor are more likely to die than the rich -- take the O.J. Simpson case," he said, referring to the former football player who is accused of murdering his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman. Rudovsky said the reason why Simpson will not receive the death penalty is that he "can't be dehumanized" by the prosecution or the media. "[The state] can't use him as an example," he said. Workshops following Rudovsky's speech discussed police accountability, public support of religious education and affirmative action. ACLU representatives were on hand to distribute pamphlets and membership information, in an effort to increase public support for their widespread initiatives. According to Karl Baker, president of the Philadelphia chapter of the ACLU, the 75-year-old organization is making a concerted effort to enlighten young adults nationwide about constitutionally guaranteed rights. "We would like to see youths embrace the ACLU as their organization and take it into the next century," Baker said.