Criminal Justice Section
Message from the Section Chair: Anthony Joseph
I could not have picked a more opportune and exciting time to take the reins as chair of the ABA Criminal Justice Section. We have a full calendar of CLE programs, policy initiatives in development, various publications on the horizon, and the number of lawyer members in the Section is at an all-time high, with more than 10,000.
On October 24, 2008, the Section will host a major conference on sentencing and post-sentencing issues, with a particular emphasis on sentencing practice in white-collar cases at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. The conference – which features all of the United States Sentencing Commissioners – will examine sentencing trends and opportunities for reform in both the federal and state courts. The program will begin with a plenary session on the state of the sentencing union including rates of incarceration, sentencing trends, racial disparity, alternatives to incarceration, and recent federal legislation. There will be three tracks of instruction, each focused on issues of concern to different segments of the criminal justice community, including white collar crime defense attorneys, prosecutors, academics, public defenders, judges, sentencing consultants, mitigation specialists, corrections personnel, victim advocates and policy experts. One track will focus on practice and procedure issues of particular concern to criminal defense attorneys in general and white collar practitioners in particular. More details on the Fall Conference, including registration information, can be found here.
I would be amiss if I did not mention our successful Annual Meeting. Our four recommendations submitted to the House of Delegates passed unanimously, and we presented programs on an array of issues important to the criminal justice field. Visit the homepage for a complete wrap-up of activates.
Our Section consists of experts from all sectors of the Criminal Justice community. I look forward to working with and hearing from each of you throughout my term, so please never hesitate to contact me with any thoughts or suggestions.
Finally, let me close by thanking my predecessor Stephen Saltzburg for the outstanding job he did this past year. I hope to serve our membership and represent the Section with the same type of fine leadership he exemplified throughout his term.
News and Highlights
CJS Policy Recommendations All Approved by the ABA House of Delegates
U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey Speech (audio), addressing the recent internal report that revealed the department’s top staff routinely taking politics and ideology into account in filling nonpolitical positions.
Acceptance Speech of the CJS Minister of Justice Award by Gary Walker, Prosecuting Attorney, Marquette, MI.
Annual Survey of Supreme Court Decisions – Criminal Cases (CLE Material)
The Rule of Law and Juvenile Justice CLE Materials
White Collar Crime Newsletter (Aug. 2008)
Committee Newsletter: Re-Entry and Collateral Consequences
Recent Amicus Brief: ABA Asks Supreme Court to Consider Unanimous Verdicts
For summaries of recent Section activities, see also the latest E-News
New Publications
The State of Criminal Justice 2007-2008
Authors from across the criminal justice field provide essays on topics ranging from homeland security to military justice to immigration law. This annual publication examines and reports on the major issues, trends and significant changes in the criminal justice system. As one of the cornerstones of the Section's work, the publication serves as an invaluable resource for policy-makers, academics, and students of the criminal justice system alike. The 2007-2008 volume contains 16 chapters focusing on specific aspects of the criminal justice field, with new addition of full text and reports of all of the adopted official
Criminal Justice Magazine: Summer 2008
Features: Miranda's Misconceptions, Is the CSI Effect Real?, Interview with Terence MacCarthy, Update on Comparative Bullet Lead Analysis, Gatekeepers Initiative--Ignore At Your Peril
About the Criminal Justice Section
Featured Events
CJS Fall Conference: Sentencing Advocacy, Practice and Reform Institute Oct. 24, 2008, Washington, DC CJS Meetings Schedule (Oct. 23-26)
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New Resources
Resource from the Cyber Crime Committee: Top Ten Tips to Protect Kids From Online Predators (Also In Spanish)
Resources from the Judicial Function Committee:
Innocence Projects Reports and Websites
Criminal Jury Instructions for State Courts
Recent State Supreme Court Developments Concerning Crawford v. Washington
Materials on Collateral Consequences of Conviction
