On behalf NACDL, I write to express support for House Bill 2317/Senate Bill 789, which would increase the daily compensation rate for jurors in Virginia from its current rate of $30 to $50. This is a critical step needed to increase the diversity of juries in the Commonwealth.

We write to express our opposition to efforts to obstruct the District of Columbia’s Revised Criminal Code Act, including any resolution of disapproval or budget rider. The Revised Criminal Code Act of 2022 (RCCA) is the product of 16 years of research, an expert commission, 51 public meetings, extensive public feedback, and robust negotiation. ... We urge you to oppose these attacks on the RCCA and vote against any resolution of disapproval.

New York’s Clean Slate Act will help address the systemic barriers to jobs, housing and education posed by old conviction records. Under the current system, people who have successfully served their time are subjected to perpetual punishment long after their sentence is served. Doors that were once open – to jobs, a place to live, an education – can remain closed for a lifetime, and this impact reverberates across children, families, and whole communities, disproportionately impacting Black and brown New Yorkers and deepening already-existing inequalities in civic life.

We write to express our opposition to efforts to obstruct the District of Columbia’s Revised Criminal Code Act, including any resolution of disapproval or budget rider. The Revised Criminal Code Act of 2022 (RCCA) is the product of 16 years of research, an expert commission, 51 public meetings, extensive public feedback, and robust negotiation. … We urge you to oppose these attacks on the RCCA and vote against any resolution of disapproval.

The undersigned organizations are committed to expanding voting rights to all citizens including people with felony convictions completing their sentences both inside and outside of incarceration. We applaud the introduction of New Mexico’s voting rights act, HB4, which, amongst other things, would end New Mexico’s practice of disenfranchising people on probation and parole. We urge passage of this measure. We also encourage the New Mexico legislature to go further and guarantee the right to all citizens regardless of their incarceration status.

For more than a year, NACDL has examined Maine’s public defense system, providing technical assistance to MCILS under a grant from the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance. ... As the nation’s preeminent criminal defense bar, NACDL is keenly interested in ensuring public defense providers have caseloads that are reasonable and allow them to fulfill their legal, ethical, and constitutional obligations.

Letter to New York Governor Kathy Hochul in support of legislative efforts in New York that seek to abolish mandatory minimums, allow judges to reconsider excessive sentences after a specified amount of time, and strengthen "good time" and "merit time" laws in order to mitigate the drivers and consequences of the trial penalty. 

Our members tell us that conditions at NYC Department of Corrections detention facilities have deteriorated to the point of near collapse. News coverage, the NYC Board of Corrections report issued September 12, 2022, and the latest report from the Monitor appointed by SDNY Chief Judge Laura Taylor Swain show a terrible toll of preventable pain, suffering, and death.

Letter to the California Assembly Public Safety Committee in support of Senate Bill 1021, which would allow individuals convicted of certain first-time misdemeanor DUI offenses to be granted diversion.

Written Testimony of Monica L. Reid, Senior Director of Advocacy, on behalf of NACDL to the Delaware House Health and Human Development Committee in Support of HB 371, which would legalize the use and possession of small amounts of cannabis for adults 21 and older. Submitted on May 3, 2022.

On April 26, 2022, NACDL sent a letter urging members of the Virginia General Assembly to override Governor Youngkin's veto of HB 1197, which would convene a stakeholder group to examine the feasibility and benefits of transferring responsibility for the Department of Juvenile Justice from the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security to the Secretary of Health and Human Resources.

Coalition letter calling upon Governor Hochul, Lieutenant Governor Benjamin, and legislative leaders to protect bail, discovery, and Raise the Age reforms in New York.

Coalition letter to Governor Kathy Hochul regarding proposed changes to New York State's discovery rules. 

Written testimony of Bonnie Hoffman on behalf of NACDL in support of HB 380, The Public Attorney Student Loan Repayment Program.

Letter to the Virginia House Appropriations Committee in support of SB 730, legislation to increase the daily compensation rate for jurors in Virginia from $30 to $50.