NACDL - Criminal Justice in the 21st Century

Criminal Justice in the 21st Century

Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Criminal Justice System

This is a critically important and inclusive examination of the profound racial and ethnic disparities in America's criminal justice system, and concrete ways to overcome them. This conference report prepared by Consultant Tanya E. Coke is based upon a multi-day, open and frank discussion among a distinguished group of criminal justice experts – prosecutors, judges, defense attorneys, scholars, community leaders, and formerly incarcerated advocates. [Released July 2013]

Documents

Download the Report (pdf)

Cover for NACDL report Criminal Justice in the 21st Century: Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Criminal Justice System A three-day convening was held October 17-19, 2012, at the New York County Lawyers’ Association’s historic Home of Law and was co-sponsored by the following organizations: the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law, the Foundation for Criminal Justice, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Center for NuLeadership on Urban Solutions, and the New York County Lawyers’ Association.

Collaborators: Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law, Foundation for Criminal Justice, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Center for NuLeadership on Urban Solutions, New York County Lawyers' Association

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Reports and Articles

Why is it so easy for prosecutors to strike black jurors?, by Gilad Edelman, The New Yorker (June 5, 2015)
Learn about the December 2013 follow-up symposuim to the original convening
- In Search of Racial Justice: The Role of The Prosecutor, Angela J. Davis, 16 N.Y.U. J. Legis. & Pub. Pol’y 4 (2014)
- Criminal Records, Race and Redemption, Michael Pinard, 16 N.Y.U. J. Legis. & Pub. Pol’y 4 (2014)
- "Give Us Free": Addressing Racial Disparities in Bail Determinations, Cynthia E. Jones, 16 N.Y.U. J. Legis. & Pub. Pol’y 4 (2014)
- Read the rest of the N.Y.U. Journal of Legislation and Public Policy issue from the follow-up event (volume 16, number 4)
Incorporating Racial Equity into Criminal Justice Reform, The Sentencing Project (October 2014)
The Degree of Disadvantage: Incarceration and Inequality in Education, Stephanie Ewert, Bryan L. Sykes, Becky Pettit, 651 The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 1 (January 2014)
Race and Prosecution in Manhattan, Vera Institute of Justice (July 2014)
Collateral Costs: Racial Disparities and Injustice in Minnesota's Marijuana Laws, Minnesota 2020 (April 2014)
Coming of Age with Stop and Frisk: Experiences, Self-Perceptions, and Public Safety Implications, Vera Institute of Justice (September 2013)
Report of the Sentencing Project to the United Nations Human Rights Committee: Regarding Racial Disparities in the United States Criminal Justice System, The Sentencing Project (August 2013)
Racial Disparities in Pretrial Diversion: An Analysis of Outcomes Among Men Charged with Felonies and Processed in State Courts, Traci Schlesinger, 3 Race and Justice 3 (July 2013)
Wisconsin's Mass Incarceration of African American Males: Workforce Challenges in 2013, John Pawasarat and Lois M. Quinn, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee: Employment and Training Institute ETI Publications (2013)
"Opinion: An Opportunity Brought On By Tragedy," by Webb Hubbell, Talk Radio News Service (August 2, 2013)
"Would Arresting More Whites End Racial Disparities in the Justice System?," The Crime Report (July 19, 2013)
"Eliminating Racial Disparities in the Criminal Justice System," by Jeralyn, TalkLeft (July 17, 2013)
"New report suggests ways to eliminate criminal justice racial and ethnic disparities," Sentencing Law and Policy (July 17, 2013)
Racial Disparities in Arrests in the District of Columbia, 2009-2011, Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs (July 2013)
The War on Marijuana in Black and White: Billions of Dollars Wasted on Racially Biased Arrests, American Civil Liberties Union (June 2013)
Operation Ghetto Storm: 2012 Annual Report on the Extrajudicial Killings of 313 Black People by Police, Security Guards & Vigilantes (Updated November 2014)
Reducing Racial Disparities in the Criminal Justice System: A Manual for Practitioners and Policymakers, The Sentencing Project (September 2008)
Fourteen Examples of Race in the Criminal Justice System, by Bill Quigley, Huffington Post (July 26, 2010)

Learn more about NACDL's work on racial disparities

Resources

Project Partners and Organizers

This project was supported in part by a grant from the Ford Foundation. Additional financial support for the conference provided by the Foundation for Criminal Justice, the Brennan Center for Justice and the New York County Lawyers’ Association. The project was organized with support from the Foundation for Criminal Justice, the Brennan Center for Justice, the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, the Center for Nu Leadership on Urban Solutions, and the New York County Lawyers Association.