Courts and Legislation

Families Against Mandatory Minimums: Families Against Mandatory Minimums is the national voice for fair and proportionate sentencing laws. We shine a light on the human face of sentencing, advocate for state and federal sentencing reform, and mobilize thousands of individuals and families whose lives are adversely affected by unjust sentences.

Illinois Coalition for the Fair Sentencing of Children: The Children and Family Justice Center of the Northwestern University Law School is a founding member of the Illinois Coalition For Fair Sentencing of Children, a group of attorneys, academics, child advocates, and concerned citizens who are pursuing judicial, legislative, and other avenues designed to end the practice of sentencing children under the age of 18 to life without the possibility of parole (“JLWOP”) in Illinois.

The National Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2009 Introduced in the Senate on March 26, 2009, by Senator Jim Webb, will create a blue-ribbon commission to look at every aspect of our criminal justice system with an eye toward reshaping the process from top to bottom. Senator Webb’s bill will bring together the best minds in America to confer, report, and make concrete recommendations about how we can reform the process.

National Juvenile Defender Center: The National Juvenile Defender Center (NJDC) was created in 1999 to respond to the critical need to build the capacity of the juvenile defense bar and to improve access to counsel and quality of representation for children in the justice system.

The Sentencing Project: The Sentencing Project is a national organization working for a fair and effective criminal justice system by promoting reforms in sentencing law and practice, and alternatives to incarceration.

United States Sentencing Commission – Priorities through May 2010: Commission priorities for the next year.