January/February 2024
Which practice standards and guidelines apply in cross-cultural forensic mental health assessments?
Articles in this Issue
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Affiliate News
What events are NACDL affiliates hosting this month? Find out here.
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America’s Changing Solitary Confinement Landscape
Many states have passed legislation limiting or prohibiting solitary confinement for certain groups, including pregnant women and young people. Although the pace of change has been slow in the solitary confinement landscape, it is moving in the right direction.
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Client Issues & Ethics: ABA Tightens Restrictions on Advance Fees for Legal Services
The American Bar Association published an ethics opinion in 2023 that clarifies the proper methods for handling advance fees, including when to treat them as earned.
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From the President: Trying Times: When Defense Counsel Stand Against Coercive Plea Bargains
That Pressure Almost All Defendants to Plead Guilty
Criminal defense lawyers should think about how their representation changes depending upon whether the prosecutor’s evidence is overwhelming, whether they believe the client is guilty but the prosecutor’s case is shaky, or they believe the client is innocent of the charges.
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NACDL News: Chicago Attorney Todd S. Pugh Sworn In as Treasurer of NACDL
NACDL News for January/February 2024
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NACDL News: Two Elected to Serve on NACDL Board of Directors
NACDL News for January/February 2024
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Practice Standards and Guidelines That Apply to Cross-Cultural Forensic Mental Health Assessments
Mental health professionals who are conducting an assessment need culture-related awareness. Particularly when the goal is for the assessment to produce a defensible report and defensible opinion testimony, defense counsel should be aware that the cross-cultural assessment may require attention to issues of acculturation and language that require the expert to have specialized knowledge.
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The Busy Lawyer’s Guide to Character Evidence
Rene Valladares and Hannah Nelson provide a framework for character evidence, an overview of the exceptions and nuances to the general prohibition of character evidence, and an understanding of how the pertinent evidence rules interact with one another.
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Using Administrative Law and Federal Habeas Corpus Remedies
When the BOP Unlawfully Executes a Client’s Sentence Under the First Step Act
Federal defenders Stephen Sady and Elizabeth Daily offer pointers on enforcing the First Step Act time credits through administrative law and habeas corpus. They provide practitioners with practical ways to begin negotiating, then litigating when necessary, against the BOP’s failure to fully implement the First Step Act’s provisions.