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 month Sara Garber reviews Fixing Legal Injustice in America: The Case for a Defender General of the United States by Andrea Lyon.
As a result of generous grant funding, NACDL is able to offer scholarship assistance to public defense attorneys to attend training programs.
Across the country there have been a number of class action lawsuits challenging public defense delivery systems which fail to ensure constitutionally effective representation. In many instances these lawsuits have been the catalyst for change, calling attention to the injustices that occur when states fail to fulfill their 6th Amendment obligations.
On March 18, 1963, in Gideon v. Wainwright, the U.S. Supreme Court laid the foundation for our nation’s public defense system. In their ruling the Court made clear that providing counsel to those facing criminal charges was a “fundamental right, essential to a fair trial.” Today we continue to fight to make the constitutional promises of counsel and of a fair trial realities.
20th Annual State Criminal Justice Network Conference August 18-20, 2021 | Held Virtually
Learn about the different ways lawyers have organized within the legal community and beyond to better address racial inequity in their jurisdictions.
This discussion examines the roles of race, power, and engagement in the attorney-client relationship.
The Myth of Colorblind Justice presented by L. Song Richardson, Professor of Law, University of California, Irvine
Race Matters I: The Impact of Race on Criminal Justice September 14-15, 2017 | Detroit, MI
The Intersection of Race and Poverty: Challenging Debtors' Prisons presented by Nusrat Choudhury, Deputy Director, Racial Justice Program, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
Bond: Practice presented by Colette Tvedt, criminal defense attorney, Denver, CO
Bond: Policy presented by Brandon Buskey, Deputy Director for Smart Justice Litigation, Criminal Law Reform Project, American Civil Liberties Union
The Champion of Public Defense Award recognizes an individual or group (lawyers and non-lawyers) for exceptional efforts in making positive changes to a local, county, state, or federal public defense system. Although the outstanding direct, individual representation of every defendant is one of NACDL's foremost goals, this award is intended to highlight efforts toward systemic advances through legislation, litigation, or other strategies.
Panel from the 2020 Presidential Summit and Sentencing Symposium, co-hosted with the Georgetown University Law Center American Criminal Law Review
Public defense issues and developments in South Carolina
Public defense issues and developments in Louisiana
Public defense issues and developments in New York.
Public defense issues and developments in South Carolina
Public defense issues and developments in Louisiana
Public defense issues and developments in New York.