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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There is no question – racial and ethnic disparities abound in our criminal justice system. Racial bias, both conscious and unconscious, results in more people of color being stopped, arrested, convicted and imprisoned than ever before. Criminal defense lawyers and public defenders are not immune to bias and, of all people in the system, should be aware of their biases and keep them in check.
During this webinar, we discuss representing clients with intellectual and/or developmental disability (I/DD). Topics include an overview of disability culture, how to identify potential disability, communication with people with disabilities, and the various pitfalls in the criminal justice system where those with I/DD in particular can get lost in the system. We also provide an overview of attorney obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and how attorneys can accommodate their clients with disabilities before, during, and after a trial or plea negotiation.
Silicon Valley De-Bug’s Albert Cobarrubias Justice Project has developed an approach for clients, their families, and their communities to partner with public defender offices to change the outcome of cases and policies that govern the local criminal justice system. Raj Jayadev shares the model called “participatory defense” and ways defender offices could employ the approach locally with their communities.
This webinar provides a medical primer about the current state of medicine with regard to HIV research and treatment. This primer is be coupled with a discussion on how to use medical research to develop defenses, present the court with mitigation, negotiate favorable pleas for clients, and litigate constitutional, evidentiary, and discovery issues. There is also a section exploring the ethical issues that attorneys must grapple with when handling these cases.
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
Learn about the different ways lawyers have organized within the legal community and beyond to better address racial inequity in their jurisdictions.
20th Annual State Criminal Justice Network Conference August 18-20, 2021 | Held Virtually
Recording and resources for Defenders Becoming DAs: Unpacking the Tension in Our Community.
This discussion examines the roles of race, power, and engagement in the attorney-client relationship.
Jennifer Sellitti was sworn in as the New Jersey Public Defender in 2024. Here are excerpts from the remarks she made at the swearing-in ceremony.
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?
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.
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.
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.