NACDL - National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
News Release
NACDL Calls for Comprehensive Review of Unjust Convictions and Harsh Sentences in the Criminal Legal System
January 20, 2025
Washington, DC (Jan 20, 2025) – As President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order granting clemency to 1,500 people convicted of crimes related to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, Lisa Wayne, Executive Director of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), issued the following statement:
"In recent weeks, Americans have witnessed two presidents utilize their executive authority to highlight the importance of second chances, rehabilitation, and accountability within the criminal legal system. This power should not be confined to the beginning or end of a presidential term but should be a consistent and integral part of their governance. We urge the current administration to break from tradition and establish a comprehensive, ongoing system for reviewing and potentially correcting unjust convictions and harsh sentences. This system should be free of political partisanship, undue influence, and any form of favoritism that undermines the pursuit of equal justice under law. Additionally, the high political profile of the January 6 cases allowed legislators to see firsthand what defenders already know - conditions in our country’s prisons and jails are inhumane and unacceptable. We welcome the attention this issue received and urge the Trump administration and lawmakers to work to improve conditions for all incarcerated individuals."
Jonathan Hutson, NACDL Senior Director of Public Affairs and Communications, 202-480-5343 or jhutson@nacdl.org
The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers is the preeminent organization advancing the mission of the criminal defense bar to ensure justice and due process for persons accused of crime or wrongdoing. A professional bar association founded in 1958, NACDL's many thousands of direct members in 28 countries – and 90 state, provincial and local affiliate organizations totaling up to 40,000 attorneys – include private criminal defense lawyers, public defenders, military defense counsel, law professors and judges committed to preserving fairness and promoting a rational and humane criminal legal system.
