PRISON RIGHTS ATTORNEY JOINS AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION OF ALASKA
Prison Conditions Report to be Issued
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jeffrey Mittman, (907) 258-0044, ext. 103
ANCHORAGE, AK, September 23, 2008 —The American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska today announced the hiring of Thomas Stenson as its Prison Rights Attorney. Stenson will assess and report on prison conditions for Alaskans in custody and the efforts of the state to rehabilitate prisoners and parolees. He will also advocate on behalf of Alaskan prisoners and, if necessary, litigate to improve their conditions and protect their rights.
Stenson joins the ACLU of Alaska from the Defender Association of Philadelphia, the public defender agency for the city of Philadelphia, where he was a criminal trial attorney for indigent clients. He graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he served as an articles editor for the Journal of Labor and Employment Law. He obtained his bachelor’s degree at Swarthmore College, graduating with High Honors.
“I am excited to work for the rights of Alaskans in custody. I will push to ensure that all prisoners have a safe, healthy environment, and access to the resources they are constitutionally entitled to,” said Stenson. “At the ACLU, we will make every effort to ensure that Alaskans who have paid their debt to society, can return to full liberty, educated, rehabilitated and able to integrate into their communities and succeed as free and productive citizens.”
“Tom’s experience with the justice system, and his passion for serving marginalized members of the community, as well as his intellect and skills as an attorney, make him the ideal person for this challenging position,” said Jeffrey Mittman, Executive Director of the ACLU of Alaska. “Protecting prisoners from improper treatment is not only right but necessary. Ensuring the rights of the disfavored protects the rights of the majority. And effective rehabilitation clearly benefits public safety.”
The ACLU of Alaska Foundation is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of the individual rights of all Alaskans under the U.S. and Alaska Constitutions, and is affiliated with the American Civil Liberties Union, the nation’s oldest and largest organization dedicated to advocacy, public education, and litigation in support of civil rights and civil liberties.
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