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.
Take a stand for a fair, rational, and humane criminal legal system
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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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As a result of generous grant funding, NACDL is able to offer scholarship assistance to public defense attorneys to attend training programs.
Six decades after the Supreme Court’s decision in Gideon v. Wainwright, the promise of that ruling remains unfulfilled.
In response to the ongoing crisis in Wisconsin where thousands of people facing criminal charges are waiting for lawyers to be assigned to their cases, NACDL, our Wisconsin affiliate (WACDL), the Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law at NYU School of Law, and the Chicago office of Winston & Strawn filed a lawsuit. The lawsuit was filed in Brown County (Green Bay), one of the many counties in the state struggling to find lawyers for every eligible individual, leaving people waiting weeks, months, and in some instances, a year or more, for a lawyer.
On March 18, 1963, in Gideon v. Wainwright, the U.S. Supreme Court laid the foundation for our nation’s public defense system. In their ruling the Court made clear that providing counsel to those facing criminal charges was a “fundamental right, essential to a fair trial.” Today we continue to fight to make the constitutional promises of counsel and of a fair trial realities.
The right to counsel must include the right to an attorney with the skill, training, and knowledge to challenge the government's evidence and to present a defense. Too often public defense attorneys lack the time and resources to attend trainings or conduct significant research on issues. To help fill those gaps, NACDL provides webinars, videos and training programs on cutting edge issues as well as on fundamental topics and trial skills.
NACDL is pleased to see the U.S. Sentencing Commission proposing amendments the Sentencing Guidelines that seek to address the unfair practice of allowing acquitted conduct to be considered as relevant conduct under Sentencing Guideline Section 1B1.3.
Across the country there have been a number of class action lawsuits challenging public defense delivery systems which fail to ensure constitutionally effective representation. In many instances these lawsuits have been the catalyst for change, calling attention to the injustices that occur when states fail to fulfill their 6th Amendment obligations.
20th Annual State Criminal Justice Network Conference August 18-20, 2021 | Held Virtually
Learn about the different ways lawyers have organized within the legal community and beyond to better address racial inequity in their jurisdictions.
This discussion examines the roles of race, power, and engagement in the attorney-client relationship.
The Myth of Colorblind Justice presented by L. Song Richardson, Professor of Law, University of California, Irvine
Race Matters I: The Impact of Race on Criminal Justice September 14-15, 2017 | Detroit, MI
The Intersection of Race and Poverty: Challenging Debtors' Prisons presented by Nusrat Choudhury, Deputy Director, Racial Justice Program, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
Bond: Practice presented by Colette Tvedt, criminal defense attorney, Denver, CO
Bond: Policy presented by Brandon Buskey, Deputy Director for Smart Justice Litigation, Criminal Law Reform Project, American Civil Liberties Union
The Champion of Public Defense Award recognizes an individual or group (lawyers and non-lawyers) for exceptional efforts in making positive changes to a local, county, state, or federal public defense system. Although the outstanding direct, individual representation of every defendant is one of NACDL's foremost goals, this award is intended to highlight efforts toward systemic advances through legislation, litigation, or other strategies.
This month Sara Garber reviews Fixing Legal Injustice in America: The Case for a Defender General of the United States by Andrea Lyon.
