Southern Poverty Law Center

The Southern Poverty Law Center, SPLC, is a non-profit organization in the United States that works to fight against white supremacist groups. The organization was founded in 1971 by Morris Dees and Joseph Levin.  It began as a civil rights law firm.  They provide legal representation for victims of hate crimes and for those that are affected by crime for traits that are out of their control.   The SPLC has been victorious in cases concerned with racial segregation and discrimination.  Since the organization is not run by the government they raise money through fundraising in order to afford the lawyers that they supply.

Though this is not directly connected to the discrimination within the criminal justice system the Sothern Poverty Law Center aids minorities against white nationalists. One issue that I have discussed in another post concerned how minorities are usually of low socioeconomic status and therefore cannot afford their own lawyer.  As a result the courts will appoint one to them.  This organization understands that justice needs to be brought to white nationalist members as well as proving the innocent. The SPLC provides well educated lawyers who care about the victims unlike those who are circulating in the system.  It also aims to connect the unfair treatment back to the core of the problem, the organization.  This can relate back to the discrimination of minorities and the criminal justice system.  Parts of the system may seem unfair when it should be rooted deeper into the entirety of the process.  It is the goal of the Southern Poverty Law Center to cripple the origination that discriminates.

It would benefit the organization if they were to branch out to demographics other than the southern state of the United States. There are hate crimes and discrimination that occurs more often in larger cities of poverty. Also, it would be effective if they were to expand their clientele to fighting controversial cases concerning race. The center provides hope for victims who experience discrimination and perhaps it will spark a sister organization representing discrimination within the criminal justice system primarily.  This way it will be one less legal factor working against minorities.

For more information on the Southern Poverty Law Center visit http://www.splcenter.org/