SCJN-NEWS
July 9, 2010
Volume 5, Number 3


In This Issue...
Update: JRJ Prosecutor and Defender Incentive Act Funding-Deadline: July 27, 2010
    States and the District of Columbia Must Apply By July 27, 2010 (extended from July 13)

    NACDL has been working to ensure swift and fair implementation of the John R. Justice Prosecutor and Defender Incentive Act, which would provide up to $10,000 per year (with a lifetime cap of $60,000) in student loan repayment assistance for public defenders and prosecutors who agree to maintain those jobs for at least 3 years. Congress approved $10 million in FY 2010 funding for this program.

    The Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Assistance has posted the grant solicitation, and state applications, including the District of Columbia, are due July 27. This means the states need to act very quickly to appoint an agency to oversee the program so they can get their application in on time. Several states have already designated agencies to operate the program; to see if your state has taken this step, please click here.

    States without designated agencies are below (As of July 6, 2010):

    • Alaska
    • Colorado
    • Connecticut
    • District of Columbia
    • Georgia
    • Idaho
    • Indiana
    • Louisiana
    • Massachusetts
    • New Hampshire
    • North Dakota
    • Pennsylvania
    • South Dakota
    • Tennessee
    • Texas
    • Utah
    • Virginia

    Additional information is available online at the BJA Web site, including a direct link to the states' 2010 share of the funding. Note that your state’s money will be forfeited unless it files a timely application.

    In addition, CLICK HERE to see the plan Illinois has developed for implementing the program. The Illinois Student Assistance Commission has also created a Web site with information about the program, which can be viewed here.

    Missing at this point is the application that individuals will use to apply for benefits. ISAC hopes to have it available on their Web site in late July.

    Please arrange for someone to contact your state’s governor’s office and make sure they designate an agency to apply for funding by July 27 and administer the program. Unless you have easy access to your governor or high-level staff, it might be best to coordinate with your local chief public defender, prosecutor and bar leaders to select a point person.

    Please help NACDL make this program a success in its first year. We want to continue and expand this program, increasing the funding over time, but that won’t be possible if the states don’t apply this year.

    If you have any questions, please contact NACDL's Associate Executive Director for Policy Kyle O'Dowd at kyle@nacdl.org.
Events and Conferences
    The 9th Annual State Criminal Justice Network Conference
    The 9th Annual NACDL State Criminal Justice Network Conference will take place Thursday, October 7 & Friday, October 8, 2010 in Washington, DC. The conference is entitled, Inform, Influence, Impact: Effective Criminal Justice Reform. To kick-off the conference, OSI-DC will also host a discussion and reception on Wednesday, October 6, 2010, as part of their Conversation on Justice Series. The event will feature authors of various criminal justices books.

    For event registration information, please click here.

    Please continue to check NACDL's Web site for updates at www.nacdl-statecrimjustice.org.
Studies & Reports
    New Drug Policy Alliance Study Examines Racial Disparities in Possession of Marijuana Arrests

    Harry G. Levine, Jon B. Gettman and Loren Siege were commissioned by the Drug Policy Alliance to conduct a study of the disparities that exist for young blacks found in possession of marijuana. Utilizing arrest data from the U.S. Government's FBI Uniform and Crime Report and the U.S. Census, the study entitled, Targeting Blacks for Marijuana: Arrests of African Americans in California, 2004-08.”, presents startling, but not surprising results of the racial disparity. The study also examines evidence that young blacks use marijuana at lower rates than young whites

    To read the study, please click here
Questions, comments, or news items?



National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL)
1660 L St., NW, 12th Floor, Washington, DC 20036
(202) 872-8600 • Fax (202) 872-8690 • assist@nacdl.org