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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Separate and Unequal Catherine Beane
After his conviction, Donald Trump unleashed an unprecedented attack on the American legal system. It is time for defense lawyers to defend the best – though flawed – legal system in the history of the world.
This month David McKnight reviews Halfway Home: Race, Punishment, and the Afterlife of Mass Incarceration by Reuben Jonathan Miller.
Prya Murad introduces the 2024 class of Summer Law Fellows selected by the Diversity Committee.
The notion of liberatory love, which is rooted in empathy, understanding, and a commitment to social justice, holds the power to transform the way attorneys approach their work.
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.
Susan Elizabeth Reese reflects on her visit to The Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama.
News outlets reported that an overtly racist, and seemingly illegal, written policy to punish Hispanic defendants more harshly than non-Hispanic defendants existed in Jefferson County, Florida.
With the death of Tyre Nichols, conversations about police misconduct and accountability begin again.
This month Samantha Buckingham reviews The Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth by Kristin Henning.
This month Jeff Gamso reviews Redeeming Justice: From Defendant to Defender, My Fight for Equity on Both Sides of a Broken System by Jarrett Adams.
Reflections on the First Half-Century on Brown v. Board of Education- Part 1 Ogletree Jr. Charles J.
The trial penalty – the difference between a pretrial settlement offer and a post-trial sentence – punishes everyone caught in the machinery of the criminal legal system but injures people of color and the poor more than others.
Implicit racial bias in forensic testimony cannot be ignored as a primary driver of injustice. Janis Puracal discusses how implicit racial bias can impact forensic testimony, and she shares her family’s story.
What can be done to achieve racial justice in the United States? How can society repair the chasm between the police and people of color? Three public defenders tackle these questions and more in the NACDL Q&A.
