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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This training program will aid those working to defend persons accused of homicide in drug-related overdose deaths. Each section of the program focuses on a different aspect of these cases. CLE is not available for this program.
It has always been a presidential prerogative to pardon or commute federal sentences. Here is a modest proposal: What if all federal convictions were reviewed for pardons? Thousands of deserving people might receive an opportunity to reenter and participate in society.
Despite the fact that the data shows the overwhelming majority of individuals appear for their court dates and are not charged with any new crimes while awaiting trial, many Virginians face harmful pretrial detention. As incarceration for even a single day has substantial negative impacts on those detained, their families, and their cases, it is critical that steps be taken to mitigate against the use of unnecessary pretrial detention and promote practices that facilitate the prompt release of individuals awaiting trial.
Meaningful early representation helps protect individuals from a legal system that often punishes persons before they are convicted, forces guilty pleas to obtain release, and incarcerates the poor simply because they cannot afford to buy their freedom. This manual is designed to help support public defense lawyers in Virginia to improve the provision of early representation practices through zealous, effective, and informed efforts on behalf of those persons accused of criminal offenses. [Released Jan 2025]
Until recently, the effectiveness of Virginia’s pretrial system in achieving its goals of public safety, protection of individual freedoms, and efficient and just court proceedings has been hard to ascertain, due in part to the lack of available systematic data. New data released as part of the Virginia Pretrial Data Project (PDP) now provide opportunities to more closely examine the pretrial system in much richer detail and with more rigorous statistical methods than have previously been available. [Released Jul 2024]
This submission addresses the proposed amendments to the career offender guideline, firearms-related guidelines, and guideline simplification. On all other issues in the proposed amendment cycle not addressed in this letter, NACDL joins in the comments filed by the Federal Defenders.
Brief of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers as Amicus Curiae in Support of Appellee Bruce Silva
“[A]n essential component” of the right to an impartial jury is the “selection of a jury from a representative cross-section of the community.” Taylor v. Louisiana, 419 U.S. 522, 528 (1975).
Learn about jury diversity from national experts, local judicial officials, and practitioners.
Learn about jury diversity from leading experts and practitioners. This webinar features a diverse panel of national and Minnesota-based professionals sharing their experiences and recommendations.
As organizations committed to due process and the right to counsel, we urge you to oppose the Laken Riley Act. This bill would subject undocumented persons to mandatory, prolonged detention based on mere arrest for theft-related offenses, including shoplifting, and additional offenses added in the Senate. Such sweeping detention would circumvent due process protections, ensnare innocent persons, and greatly interfere with the representation of counsel necessary for the fair administration of justice.
Brief of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers as Amicus Curiae in Support of Petitioner
As organizations committed to due process and the right to counsel, we urge you to oppose the Laken Riley Act. This bill would subject undocumented persons to mandatory, prolonged detention based on mere arrest for theft-related offenses, including shoplifting. Such sweeping detention would circumvent due process protections, ensnare innocent persons, and greatly interfere with the representation of counsel necessary for the fair administration of justice.
Virginia law allows incarcerated individuals to ask the Governor of Virginia for a conditional pardon. A conditional pardon allows the Governor to change or end a criminal sentence imposed by a court. In order to seek a conditional pardon, you must submit a petition to the Governor’s office.
This page is for informational purposes only and applies to people sentenced in Virginia state court.
r2f brief - Procedural Reference/cji ff