ABA Criminal Justice Policy Passed at the 2009 Annual Meeting: During the 2009 Annual Meeting, the ABA House of Delegates approved the lone resolution brought by the Section which supports the enactment of legislation such as S. 714 (111th Congress) which would provide for a national study of the state of criminal justice in the United States to consider ways to reduce crime, lower incarceration rates, save taxpayer money, enhance the fairness and accuracy of criminal justice outcomes, and increase public confidence in the administration of the criminal justice system. The entire recommendation and report is available at http://www.abanet.org/leadership/2009/annual/daily_journal/One_Hundred_Eleven_B.doc

Policy Update: Policy in Development

ABA Criminal Justice Policy Passed at the 2009 Midyear Meeting:

Adam Walsh Act: www.abanet.org/crimjust/policy/my09101a.pdf   

Mediation in Criminal Matters: www.abanet.org/crimjust/policy/my09101b.pdf  

Immigration Raids in Criminal Justice: www.abanet.org/crimjust/policy/my09101c.pdf  

Child Victims in the Criminal Justice System: www.abanet.org/crimjust/policy/my09101d.pdf

ABA Criminal Justice Policy Approved in the 2008 Bar Year

The Criminal Justice Section submitted eight policy recommendations – four at both the Midyear and Annual Meetings – and approved as official ABA policy, which covered an array of criminal justice-related issues.

Recent Amicus Brief: ABA Asks Supreme Court to Consider Unanimous Verdicts

The policy-making body of the American Bar Association, the ABA House of Delegates, meets twice a year to vote on policy recommendations that are before it. Once a recommendation has passed the House, or in limited circumstances when the recommendation is approved by the ABA Board of Governors, the recommendation becomes official Association policy, enabling lobbying efforts and the creation of programs designed to implement the policy. Sections, Divisions, Forums, and other outside organizations all submit recommendations for consideration.

In the Criminal Justice Section, policy initiatives are generally formulated at the Committee or Task Force level. A background report is generated supporting the recommendation, and generally details the issues addressed, and solutions proposed. Once the recommendation has been approved by a majority of the committee, it is submitted to the Section's Council, along with the background report, for consideration. The Council debates the issues presented by the recommendation and either approves the measure, rejects the proposal, or tables the issue for further discussion and sends the material back to the originating committee for additional work.

Once a recommendation has received approval from the Section Council, it is then submitted to the House of Delegates under the Section's name. The background report is also submitted, although only the actual language of the recommendation becomes policy, should it pass in the House. Again, status as official ABA policy enables Section leadership to lobby on, speak with the media about, and try to further the particular policy.

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