Public sentiment continues to turn in favor of abolishing the death penalty. The death penalty remains a national embarrassment. It is racist, classist, and anachronistic.

Incarcerated individuals are entitled to a basic standard of care, but stories of subhuman conditions still abound in the media. Defense attorneys perhaps can obtain additional doctor visits or proper medication. The fundamental abuses, however, are harder to combat.

Even though it was challenging in several ways, 2020 was a surprisingly strong year for NACDL.

Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, NACDL has nimbly shifted its operations so that it could continue uninterrupted to provide first-rate member services and zealously work for a better criminal law system.

Holistic defense recognizes that the impact of a defendant’s case can extend beyond one practice area. This defense model assembles teams of lawyers by integrating practice areas and encouraging collaboration: a criminal defense lawyer sits next to a family law attorney and across from an immigration attorney.

George Floyd’s death has brought about a time when change in the criminal justice system is possible. Fortunately, this movement includes a growing number of prosecutors.

Although women are comprising an ever-larger part of the prison population, they are being housed in a correctional system that was primarily designed for men.

Although businesses and individuals were sharing information and data with third-party vendors long before the COVID-19 outbreak, use of remote work tools is sure to endure long after the outbreak passes, making privacy concerns even more important.

Courts are developing protocols for how to safely resume jury trials after the coronavirus pandemic. The defense community cannot allow expedient solutions to backlogged dockets to subvert the Constitution by sanctioning proceedings that fall short of constitutional and statutory protections.

Without bold action, jails and prisons could become the epicenters of the coronavirus.

The imposition of the death penalty is on the decline. However, 40 execution dates have been scheduled by seven states and the federal government for 2020.

Congress amended 18 U.S.C. § 3582 to permit prisoners to file their own motions for compassionate release.

E.G. Morris discusses the current state of the bail system. He believes that pretrial release conditions requiring financial conditions must be used as a last resort. An accused should be released on personal recognizance unless an evidence-based determination is made that the individual presents a flight risk or imminent physical harm to others.

To what extent, if any, does Brady apply in the plea bargaining process?

Recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions illustrate how the continued use of the death penalty will inevitably invite arbitrary results and fails to serve any legitimate sentencing purpose.