A three-part webinar series presented by NACDL on July 8th and 9th. Join defenders, prosecutors, and community stakeholders as they discuss the rising trend in “progressive prosecutors” - the changes to be implemented in prosecution, challenges and opportunities for defenders, and how community stakeholders can hold their elected officials accountable. Due to the critical importance of these issues to the criminal defense community, NACDL is presenting this webinar free of charge for both members and non-members.

An ongoing interactive webinar series hosted by NACDL member Mark Satawa of Satawa Law, PLLC, and NACDL Senior Resource Counsel Vanessa Antoun. Every Wednesday at 2 pm ET. On this page, you can register for the series, join the live webinars, submit feedback and suggestions, and watch past videos!

The First Step Act requires the Department of Justice to develop a risk and needs assessment tool to be used by Bureau of Prisons (“BOP”) to assess the recidivism risk of all federal prisoners. Inmates will be classified as minimum, low, medium or high risk, and will be placed in recidivism reduction programs based on identified needs.

A key pillar of the First Step Act, a bipartisan federal criminal reform bill signed into law in December 2018, was the creation of a risk and needs assessment tool for federal prisoners.  In July 2019, the Department of Justice first published this tool, the Prisoner Assessment Tool Targeting Estimated Risk and Needs (“PATTERN”) and began using it to place prisoners in recidivism reduction programming and award certain benefits. This webinar discusses the origins of PATTERN as well as the many questions that remain about its design and implementation, including during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Updates and information about applying for compassionate release for your client. Topic-specific segments are listed below. Presented by Mira Baylson, member, Cozen O'Connor; Elizabeth Blackwood, Counsel & Project Director, First Step Act Resource Center, NACDL; Justine Harris, partner, Sher Tremonte; Lisa Mathewson, Law Offices of Lisa A. Mathewson; JaneAnne Murray, Professor of Practice, University of Minnesota Law School; Shazzie Naseem, partner, Berkowitz Oliver; Avery Pollard, associate, Zuckerman Spaeder; Marjorie Peerce, partner, Ballard Spahr; and Mary Price, General Counsel, FAMM.

Because the full implications of First Step Act measures may not be immediately apparent, NACDL hosted a live webinar on January 29, 2019. Sentencing expert Amy Baron-Evans discussed the ins and outs of the new law, with emphasis on potentially overlooked aspects of the most significant provisions. Amy is the Sentencing Resource Counsel for the Federal Public and Community Defenders, and the go-to lawyer among federal defenders for difficult sentencing questions.

Long underused and unfairly applied by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, federal compassionate release is seeing a revival under the First Step Act. That law not only corrected many of the flaws in the way the BOP handled compassionate release requests, but allows prisoners direct access to the courts. The new law clarifies the broad range of circumstances related to age, illness, and family circumstances that might trigger eligibility for relief and further opens up exciting new opportunities to seek reconsideration of sentences that are no longer appropriate for a variety of other reasons.

The First Step Act makes important changes to several federal drug and gun statutes. The Act reduces mandatory minimum enhancements for some drug defendants and also changes the definition of these enhancements.  It also modifies the existing federal safety valve, broadening its application to more drug defendants; changes the “stacking” penalty under 18 U.S.C. § 924(c); and retroactively applies the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010.

“Good time credit” results in real time being deducted from an inmate’s sentence and is gained by maintaining good behavior during incarceration. See 18 U.S.C. § 3624(b). All incarcerated individuals, other than those serving life sentences, are eligible for good time credit.

The First Step Act revised the federal compassionate release statute, 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(1)(A).

The new and improved NACDL Resource Center offers multi-faceted support to NACDL members. We assist you by providing you access to member-provided documents, external resources, experts, and hands-on support from our resource counsel attorneys when you can't find what you need. With more resources than ever, the Resource Center is an invaluable component of your NACDL membership. Only NACDL members may access the Resource Center. If you are not a member, join today.

Dr. Bruce Frumkin joins the NACDL Engage & Exchange Discussion Series with host Mark Satawa for Competency to Waive Miranda Rights and False/Coerced Confessions: The Use and Misuse of Expert Testimony. 

Bill Wolf and Stephen E. Palmer take on Prepping Homicide Cases for the Engage & Exchange Series.

Larry Pozner joins the NACDL Engage & Exchange Video Discussion Series for a second time to talk cross-examining experts.

Comments to the American Society for Testing and Materials regarding proposed standard ASTM WK72597: New Standard Guide for the Microscopical Examination of Human Hair.