Renewed War on Drugs, harsher charging policies, stepped-up criminalization of immigrants — in the current climate, joining the NACDL is more important than ever. Members of NACDL help to support the only national organization working at all levels of government to ensure that the voice of the defense bar is heard.
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NACDL is committed to enhancing the capacity of the criminal defense bar to safeguard fundamental constitutional rights.
NACDL harnesses the unique perspectives of NACDL members to advocate for policy and practice improvements in the criminal legal system.
NACDL envisions a society where all individuals receive fair, rational, and humane treatment within the criminal legal system.
NACDL’s mission is to serve as a leader, alongside diverse coalitions, in identifying and reforming flaws and inequities in the criminal legal system, and redressing systemic racism, and ensuring that its members and others in the criminal defense bar are fully equipped to serve all accused persons at the highest level.
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A drug conviction can banish a noncitizen from the United States without regard to any rehabilitation or family ties. In addition, drug violations may torpedo a person’s chances of obtaining a visa, a green card, or citizenship. When should a criminal defense attorney get an immigration attorney involved?
Forced Medication After United States v. Sell: Fighting a Client's 'War on Drugs'
When a criminal defense attorney sees a drug or drug-related charge alleged against a noncitizen client, the attorney should immediately think of immigration consequences. The main defense strategies for drug cases are as follows, in order of preference: (1) avoiding a drug conviction entirely through dismissal or negotiation; (2) if a drug conviction is unavoidable, avoid an aggravated felony; (3) plead to a substance that is not federally controlled; or (4) create a vague record of conviction as to the substance if the state law is overbroad.
This month Michael G. Martin reviews Helena Star: An Epic Adventure Through the Murky Underworld of International Drug Smuggling by Stewart Riley.
Due to the increased push for prosecutions in drug-related deaths, it is more important than ever for criminal justice system stakeholders to have access to accurate, standardized, and professional death investigation and death certification. Amy Hawes and Denise Martin share some of the common pitfalls in drug death investigations, discuss national recommendations for coroner and medical examiner investigations, and set forth the qualifications death investigation experts should possess.
Even as the United States comes to terms with the true motives of the government’s past policy regarding marijuana and even as some states undertake campaigns to legalize, racism still influences the policing of marijuana.
The intersection of race and health care has played a fundamental role in how opioids are affecting different demographics.
President Obama commuted the sentences of more inmates than the last 11 presidents combined. Many reformers expressed dismay at the president’s approach to clemency, but it cannot be denied that a little more than 1,000 people will be able to walk out of prison and start life anew. NACDL Executive Director Norman Reimer expresses his gratitude to the benefactors and volunteer lawyers who participated in this project to help individuals regain their freedom.
NACDL News
The End of a Confidence Game: A Possible Defense to the Impossible Drug Prosecution James M. Shellow August/September 2000 22 Counsel faced with defending a substantive drug prosecution is confronted with a two witness paradigm: the agent and the chemist. It is virtually impossible to shake the test
