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In 1972 the NYCLU filed a historic civil rights lawsuit to challenge the inhumane institutional conditions suffered by the residents of the infamous Willowbrook State School. Thirty years later the NYCLU and other advocates still actively monitor the implementation of the remedy that emerged from that case. The NYCLU also engages in advocacy for the development of community-based services as a means to advance civil liberties for people with mental retardation and developmental disabilities.

Please explore below to learn about the NYCLU’s work to ensure that all persons receive equal treatment from the government, employers, correctional facilities and educational institutions.

News Items and Releases  (see all)



June 19, 2009 - NYCLU: City Report Highlights Need for Further Reform at Kings County Hospital

June 11, 2009 - NYCLU Releases Group Home Records in which State Questions Veracity of Fire Evacuation Drills

March 23, 2009 - NYCLU Renews Call for Attorney General Investigation into Group Home Fire

Court Cases  (see all)



Mental Hygiene Legal Services v. NYC HHC (Challenge to Squalid Conditions, Abuse at Brooklyn's Kings County Hospital Center)

New York State Association for Retarded Children v. Pataki ("Willowbrook Case": Monitoring and Enforcing Injunction)

Matter of Martin

Publications  (see all)



Booklet: Civil Liberties at Work (2003)

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