Race matters in our criminal justice system. It affects how likely you are to be pulled over by police, how likely you are to be released or detained pretrial, how likely the state is to seek the death penalty, and how severely you are sentenced.

NACDL has been committed to examining race as an issue within the criminal justice context.

An important discussion on the ways in which systemic racism manifests itself in the pretrial process and how we can work towards change.

This conversation examines the ways in which the chattel slavery system of America’s early history manifests itself in the variety of ways in which Black people are literally and symbolically policed today.

The events unfolding across our nation today renew a long-standing call for fundamental changes to our nation’s institutions. While today’s cries carry echoes from protests following the deaths of so many Black people killed by police, and the hopes for change from the marches of the Civil Rights Movement, the current story of race, racism, and white privilege in America has its roots firmly planted in over 400 years of history. It is by fully understanding our nation’s legacy of chattel slavery that we can begin to combat our current social structures that perpetuate institutional racism.

Brief of Amicus Curiae National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers in Support of Petitioner.

Brief of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers as Amicus Curiae in Support of Petitioner.

Race Data Matters: Using Expert Testimony and Social Science Data about Discriminatory Policing to Win Pretrial Motions: Part I presented by Rahsaan D. Hall, Director, Racial Justice Program, American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts

Race Matters I: The Impact of Race on Criminal Justice
September 14-15, 2017 | Detroit, MI

Race Data Matters: Using Expert Testimony and Social Science Data about Discriminatory Policing to Win Pretrial Motions: Part II presented by Alison Siegler, Clinical Law Professor, University of Chicago Law School

Race Matters I: The Impact of Race on Criminal Justice
September 14-15, 2017 | Detroit, MI

This inaugural Presidential Summit was designed to help practitioners identify and confront issues of racial bias in our courts, the law enforcement community, by prosecutors, and yes, even the defense team. Attendees heard from trial lawyers, academics, and formerly incarcerated individuals who offered their personal perspectives, strategies, and ideas on why Race Matters. This program was created to intentionally challenge you to push the envelope on your understanding of and willingness to attack racial bias in the criminal justice system.

See below for materials referenced during the Policing Black Bodies II: Race and Pretrial Practices program.

Nation's Criminal Defense Bar Responds to Racism, Bigotry, and Violence in Charlottesville, VA -- Washington, DC (Aug. 14, 2017) – The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) is profoundly disturbed by recent events in Charlottesville, VA. While NACDL respects the First Amendment rights of all people peaceably to assemble and express their views, even unpopular ones, NACDL deplores violence, racism, and bigotry.

Presentation slides from Drs. Angela Hattery and Earl Smith

Additional resources on racial disparities in the criminal justice system.