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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Persons with disabilities represent one of the nation's largest minority populations. They are overrepresented in the criminal legal system as persons who are accused as well as persons who are victims of crime. In both the criminal legal system and in society generally, persons with disabilities are often denied meaningful access to the processes and protections afforded to the general population. These training materials and resources provide introduction to some of the issues and challenges that exist in our criminal legal system for persons with disabilities.
Whether a prosecuting attorney as county attorney under state law may be involved in the management oversight of a public defender's office?
What are a criminal defense attorney’s duties to the client when the attorney learns that jail or prison communications between the attorney and client are subject to official monitoring?
First Vice President and former NACDL Ethics Advisory Committee chair John Wesley Hall's testimony on Focus Questions 1-3 and Focus Question 1(4) to the California Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice for their consideration.
Memorandum of Amici Curiae the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Coalition for Prior Conviction Impeachment Reform in Support of Petition for Review
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.
Ad Hoc Military Tribunals Committee Position Paper for the Board of Directors of The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers(fn 1)
For incarcerated people, the conclusion of court-based litigation usually signals the end of all relationships with attorneys. However, people sentenced to a term of imprisonment continue to need lawyers. For example, they need assistance when corrections officials miscalculate their sentencing credit, and they need help seeking release when physical or cognitive decline leaves them disabled or on the brink of death.
Despite the evidentiary support for counsel at first appearance (CAFA), not all local officials are persuaded of its benefits. Trisha Trigilio summarizes wisdom from defenders who have implemented boundary-pushing CAFA and early representation programs without a statewide mandate or court order.
The Honorable Stefan Underhill argues that the federal supervised release system violates constitutional protections guaranteed in the Fifth and Sixth Amendments. How? When defendants violate a condition of supervised release, they can face a felony-term of imprisonment and not be accorded the right to indictment, the right to jury trial, the requirement of proof beyond a reasonable doubt, and the right to confront adverse witnesses. He urges defense lawyers to raise this issue in the district court and preserve it for appeal.
This month Susan Elizabeth Reese reviews Renegade for Justice: Defending the Defenseless in an Outlaw World by Stephen Lee Saltonstall.
As a result of generous grant funding, NACDL is able to offer scholarship assistance to public defense attorneys to attend training programs.
Access to high caliber training is critical to ensuring defense lawyers are able to fulfill their role as a meaningful check on government abuse, a knowledgeable advisor, and a zealous advocate on behalf of their clients. To help public defense lawyers get access to this training, NACDL, through generous grant funding, offers scholarship assistance. Scholarships are awarded in the form of full or partial reimbursements of registration. Limited travel reimbursement stipends may also be awarded to help defray the costs of travel and lodging.
National Defender Organizations Join to Express Opposition to Louisiana Public Defender Overhaul Legislation
NACDL joined defender organizations in supporting increasing compensation for court-appointed counsel.