The Tri-County Branch has chosen to combine these four committees for efficiency since there is often a common interest between these areas of activism.

Online Form | Downloadable PDF

The Legal Redress Committee is comprised of members of the NAACP Tri County Branch with support from local attorneys and from citizens who are knowledgeable in various applicable areas. Our purpose is to address discrimination in any form in an attempt to create reconciliation between disparate segments of our community. The NAACP Tri County Branch can be contacted via email or by phone, however, complaints are not considered to have been formally submitted until the required Legal Redress Form has been properly filled out and filed with the Branch. Although all complaints are seriously considered, the submission of a complaint form does not automatically guarantee action on the part of the Tri-County Branch. Complaint forms may also be submitted to the NAACP National Legal Department, however, due to the volume of complaints received by that office, the Legal Department may not be able to personally respond. Complaints do not create an attorney-client relationship with the NAACP National Legal Department. Nor does submission of a complaint mean that the NAACP National Legal Department has accepted a particular case. The NAACP offers a resource page which contains contact information for various Federal and State agencies and civil rights advocacy groups that may be able to assist in a matter. The NAACP Tri County Branch may also provide contact information, and/or assistance for concerned citizens with commonly experienced issues or questions, but does not provide legal advice. NAACP members are volunteers who give generously of their time but who may not always be available. The Tri-County NAACP should not be relied upon for immediate response in the event of an emergency.

The Legal Redress Committee shall:

1. Investigate all cases reported to it
2. Supervise all litigation in which the Unit is interested
3. Keep the National Office and the Branch informed on the progress of every case (it shall not give general legal advice)

The Committee on Community Coordination shall enlist the support of other community organizations on issues affecting the interests of African Americans and other communities of color.

The Prison Branch Support Committee works with activist Callie Clay who has provided outreach and advocacy for prisoners in the area and other parts of the state. The Tri-County branch has educated its members on the voting rights of prisoners and the ever-changing rules put into place by the office of the Secretary of State, most recently as relates to crimes of moral turpitude and how those impact the rights of voters who are also felons. The Branch has proactively worked with local police department chiefs and with county sheriffs by inviting them for open communication with branch members to help to improve relations between law enforcement and the communities they are charged with the duty to serve and protect. This Committee shall support the work of the Prison Branch, once established, in accordance with Article VIII, Section 6 (1-11) by:

1. Working closely and directly with the members of their respective Prison Branch and the Regional Prison Coordinator
2. Maintain contacts with, and report regularly to the Regional Coordinators
3. Build, cultivate and maintain positive relationships between prison officials, Prison Branch members and members within the local Branch
4. Solicit community organizations and business to establish a volunteer bank (teachers, writers, poets, businessmen, ministers, lawyers, policemen, judges, government officials, politicians and media personnel) to assist the Prison Branch in carrying out its programs

The Committee on Criminal Justice shall:

1. Seek to eliminate harsh and unfair sentencing practices that are responsible for mass incarceration and racial disparities in the prison system
2. Support and seek to increase trust and public safety by advancing effective law enforcement practices
3. Fight for the restoration of the voting rights of formerly incarcerated people and the removal of barriers to employment
4. Elevate the voices of crime victim survivors in order to identify and advance systemic breakdowns existing in the criminal justice system that perpetuate crime
5. Resolve to end the war on drugs for its disproportionate collateral consequences harm communities of color
6. Seek the institution and availability of alternatives to incarceration including education, employment, and mental health services
7. Eliminate zero tolerance policies implemented in our schools which are keeping kids out of the classroom and putting them on a path from the schoolhouse to the jailhouse
8. Investigate programs implemented in our local law enforcement agencies which derail from their main purpose of safety and order to conduct the work of federal agencies for which they do not have the capacity
9. Seek budget modifications in states where incarceration receives more funding than education

The Tri-County Branch joins with other NAACP branches around the country to stand against use of, and to work to completely and permanently abolish, the death penalty.

Although you may have contacted The NAACP Tri County Branch via email or by phone, your complaint is not considered to have been formally submitted until you fill out the required Legal Redress Form and filed it with the Tri County Branch.

Please attach with a copy of this complaint form a memo stating your concerns, including names, dates, contact information, and a description of the alleged wrong action. Submit this form and the attached description by bringing it to a meeting of the Tri-County Branch, or by mailing it to NAACP Tri County, Post Office Box 2110, Muscle Shoals, AL 35662. You may also give it to any officer of your local Branch, or to any member of the Legal Redress Committee. Please note that while we consider your complaint seriously, the submission of your complaint form does not automatically guarantee action on the part of the Tri County Branch.

If you desire, you may also submit your form to the NAACP National Legal Department. Your NAACP National Legal Department appreciates your complaint, however, due to the volume of complaints received by that office, the Legal Department may not be able to personally respond to each complaint it receives. Be advised that your complaint does not create an attorney-client relationship with the NAACP National Legal Department. Please also note that submission of a complaint does not mean that the NAACP National Legal Department has accepted your case. Depending upon the type of complaint, it may be necessary for you to consult an attorney regarding your case as soon as possible because there may be certain filing deadlines that must be adhered to in order to file a case in court.

You may also wish to visit the NAACP resource page, which contains contact information for various Federal and State agencies, civil rights advocacy groups that may be able to assist you. The NAACP Tri County Branch may provide contact information, and/or assistance for concerned citizens with common, complaints, issues or questions, but we do not provide legal advice. For legal advice, you should consult an attorney. Please also remember that NAACP members are volunteers and may not always be available to schedule time to assist you at your convenience. If your matter is time sensitive, do not wait for the NAACP.

Your local Legal Redress Committee is here to help. Under the Submit a Complaint section, fill out the On-site Form, or download the PDF Form instead and email it to President@naacptricounty.org.