An ongoing interactive webinar series regularly hosted by NACDL. Wednesdays at 2 pm ET / 11am PT. On this page, you can register for the series, volunteer as faculty, submit feedback, and watch past videos!

The presentation includes a brief PowerPoint presentation on topics from the Female Offender Manual. A panel discussion follows to address questions on the policy, medical treatment, special needs and challenges regarding the administration of female facilities. 

Explore the recent amendments to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines that took effect on November 1, 2023, in particular those that permit for a reduction in sentence. They will offer a comprehensive overview of the these amendments, the government’s latest position on them, and practice tips on making the most of them for your clients.

A thorough understanding of Crawford and Bruton issues is crucial for criminal defense lawyers. The Confrontation Clause area, however, can seem daunting and riddled with contradictory Supreme Court decisions. This presentation demystifies Crawford and Bruton and provides defense lawyers a clear and systematic method of tackling Confrontation Clause issues.

To combat questionable prosecution “expert” evidence, defense lawyers need to have a thorough understanding of Federal Rule of Evidence 702 and companion rules. This presentation provides practitioners with a framework for Article VII (Opinions and Expert Testimony) of the Federal Rules of Evidence, summarizes defense favorable cases, and presents arguments and tips on how to spot and avoid the most common ways the prosecution abuses expert testimony.  This area is of vital importance now considering the recent amendments to Federal Rule of Evidence 702.

Important amendments to the Federal Rules of Evidence came into effect on December 1, 2023: Amendments to Rule 106 (rule of completeness), 605 (exclusion of witnesses) and 702 (testimony by experts). These amendments will bring significant opportunities and challenges for defense lawyers. 

As diagnosed behavioral health complexities continue to rise in the general population, so is true in the criminal legal system.  According to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics, 80% of inmates have a history of drug or alcohol abuse.  Addiction being a biopsychosocial disease is often comorbid with a diagnosed or undiagnosed mental health condition, this condition is better treated medically rather than penalized legally.

Elizabeth Blackwood, NACDL’s Counsel & Project Director, First Step Act Resource Center, and Alison Guernsey, Clinical Professor of Law, Iowa College of Law provide an overview of PATTERN and Earned Time Credits, explain how you can utilize these tools to benefit your client, and discuss how to proceed if the BOP fails to provide the time credits your client has earned.

Mr. Jack Donson, Executive Director of the Federal Prison Education and Reform Alliance, along with moderator, Patricia Cresta-Savage, Chair of the Corrections Committee, discuss the recent updates to the "How to Navigate the Prison System Guide." Mr. Donson discusses navigating the BOP from pre-trial to sentencing classification and post-conviction. He reviews the updated Guide to include the links to documents, references, policies and procedures for incarcerated individuals, practitioners, and their families.

Prison Reform: Learning from AMEND’s Research and Reform Approaches. Presented by David Cloud, AMEND at UCSF, San Francisco, CA and Jerry Buting, moderator, Buting, Williams & Stilling, S.C., Brookfield, WI

Presented by Rene Valladares, Federal Public Defender for the District of Nevada

The Busy Lawyer’s Guide to Objections with Rene Valladares

The Busy Lawyer’s Guide to Hearsay Part II presented by Rene Valladares

The Busy Lawyer’s Guide to Hearsay Part I presented by Rene Valladares

Presented by Rene Valladares, Federal Public Defender, District of Nevada