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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Brief of Amici Curiae American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Illinois, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and Illinois Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers in Support of Mr. Redmond and Mr. Molina
Despite assurances that, “[I]n our society, liberty is the norm, and detention prior to trial…the carefully limited exception,” over 75 percent of those detained in local jails have not been convicted of a crime.
22nd Annual State Criminal Justice Network Conference August 16-17, 2023 | Held Virtually
In Part II of the discussion on Race and Collateral Consequences, we explore how the use of “moral character” clauses, like those used in state bar licensing, can prevent individuals with convictions from participating in the legal profession. We also discuss a range of restrictions to entrepreneurial ventures that people with criminal convictions face that range from limiting a person’s ability to access capital through loans to barring participation in the legal, regulated cannabis industry.
In celebration of Second Chance Month in April, NACDL hosts the first of two discussions on race and collateral consequences. Panelists discuss the long-term impacts of criminal convictions, the specific harm that collateral consequences have caused to communities of color, and what it will take to meaningfully change this system.
NACDL is a coalition partner of Fully Free: The Campaign to End Permanent Punishments. The campaign works to dismantle "the prison after the prison," the long-lasting barriers to housing, employment, education, civic engagement, and more for people with criminal records in Illinois.
In 2019, Illinois passed The Illinois Reproductive Health Act (RHA), which established the fundamental rights of individuals to make autonomous decisions about one’s own reproductive health and sought to expand access to abortion in Illinois. 775 Ill. Comp. Stat. 55 §1-5. The following are the fundamental rights set forth by the Act.
Citing wrongful convictions due to mistaken eyewitness identification and the urgent need to reform traditional police eyewitness identification procedures, NACDL, in conjunction with the MacArthur Justice Center of the Bluhm Legal Clinic at Northwestern University School of Law, filed a civil lawsuit against the Illinois police departments who participated in a controversial study of eyewitnesses and police lineups.
Brief of the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the Illinois Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers as Amici Curiae in Support of Defendant–Appellant.
NACDL is providing resources regarding the Criminalization of Pregnancy and Reproductive Health to the criminal defense community. Resources are provided without warranty or guarantee. Please consult the laws and rules of your state and local authorities. Please log in to access them. Membership is NOT required.
See below the various issues on which NACDL has conducted criminal justice advocacy in Illinois. Scroll to the bottom of the page to see active legislation in Illinois that NACDL is tracking.
This fact sheet explains the Families' Right to Estate Equity (FREE) Act, introduced in 2022 as SB 3098 / HB 4490. The sheet was put together by the Fully Free Campaign, of which NACDL is a coalition partner.
Policies and rulings on lengthy imprisonment terms in Illinois.
Information on the policy and history of recording custodial interrogations in Illinois.
Attorney-client communications federal caselaw and state-specific anecdotal data in Illinois
