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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Over half of the nearly 7 million people controlled by the U.S. criminal legal system are on probation and parole. Learn more about community supervision’s role in mass incarceration, as well as state legislative efforts to reform probation and parole around the country.
NACDL's 19th Annual State Criminal Justice Network Conference August 17-19, 2020 | Held Virtually
Brief of Amicus Curiae National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers in Support of En Banc and Panel Rehearing
The NACDL Task Force on Risk Assessment Tools commissioned Dr. Melissa Hamilton to produce a comprehensive analysis of how risk assessment tools are developed and applied. This report is a significant contribution to the body of scholarship and resources concerning risk assessment tools. It is an in-depth and accessible resource for practitioners, policymakers, advocates, and indeed all system actors in the nation’s criminal legal apparatus. It is designed to provide the information and guidance necessary to properly assess various risk assessment tools. [Released November 2020]
NACDL is advocating for the expansion of parole opportunities in Indiana.
NACDL advocated for reforms to the parole system in New York.
NACDL successfully advocated for reforms to the parole system in New York.
Myths and facts about parole reform in New York. Published in 2021.
NACDL President Chris Adams' written statement to the Indiana state Senate Corrections and Criminal Law Committee regarding proposed changes to the qualifications for parole, as laid out in HB 1202 (2021).
During parole board hearings, sometimes a client will use language indicating that he deserved a severe sentence for his crime. Clients learn this language while attending prison programs that subtly teach them to say what the parole board wants to hear. The client may use this language (“program speak”) even though he committed no crime. In doing this, however, the client may foreclose any future possibility of clearing his name. How can a defense lawyer mitigate such statements?
Brief for Amici Curiae Citizens for Juvenile Justice, Committee for Public Counsel Services, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice, Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, National Juvenile Defender Center, and National Juvenile Justice Network in Support of Petitioner (on Petition for Writ of Certiorari).
