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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Verbatim: Lady Justice's Blindfold has been Shredded
Elizabeth Unger Carlyle recaps the criminal, habeas, and prisoner civil rights cases of the 2024-2025 Term.
It has always been a presidential prerogative to pardon or commute federal sentences. Here is a modest proposal: What if all federal convictions were reviewed for pardons? Thousands of deserving people might receive an opportunity to reenter and participate in society.
Mercy does not surface often on death row. That is what makes the story of Jason McGehee so remarkable.
Until the Sixth Amendment is understood to provide a right to clemency counsel or legislatures provide for counsel at this stage of the legal process, few avenues exist to secure the assistance of counsel for those with limited resources. People with sufficient income will hire lawyers to help them, but everyone should have the same opportunity.
A great deal of folk wisdom surrounds the characteristics of a successful appellate brief. It is said that shorter briefs and fewer issues lead to greater appellate success. One of the “gurus” of legal writing recommended that issue statements not exceed 75 words. Some claim that simple, short arguments are more effective than longer ones. Many attorneys believe that an appellant who files a reply brief will be more successful than an appellant who does not. Several hypotheses arising from all this advice have been tested. The results call into question most of the folk wisdom.
In August 2017, NACDL and Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM) announced the launch of a state-focused clemency initiative, the NACDL/FAMM State Clemency Project. The program is designed to recruit, train, and provide resource support to pro bono attorneys who will assist state prisoners in submitting applications for sentence commutation.
This month Susan Elizabeth Reese reviews Infinite Hope: How Wrongful Conviction, Solitary Confinement, and 12 Years on Death Row Failed to Kill My Soul by Anthony Graves.
This month Carrie Sperling reviews Blind Injustice by Mark Godsey.
