Center on the Administration of Criminal Law
The Center is an apolitical advocacy organization and think-tank dedicated to promoting good government practices in the criminal justice system.
Center News:
The Supreme Court cites and quotes the Faculty Director's article, and cites the Center's brief, in Missouri v. Frye.
- Former Executive Director Anthony S. Barkow presented oral argument, by invitation of the court, in an en banc proceeding before the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Read the Center's brief in the case, which was prepared by CACL attorneys Courtney Oliva and Rena Stern, and Julie Mecca ’13.
- NYU Press published Prosecutors in the Boardroom: Using Criminal Law to Regulate Corporate Conduct, the Center's book comprised of scholarship generated out of the Centers first annual major conference. Read more. Buy the book.
- The Supreme Court cited and quoted an article by the Center's Faculty Director, Rachel E. Barkow, cited the Center's brief, and relied extensively on the Center's research in its majority opinion in Missouri v. Frye, which -- along with its companion decision in Lafler v. Cooper -- held that the Sixth Amendment's guarantee of effective defense counsel extends to plea negotiations.
- Former Executive Director Anthony S. Barkow publishes an op-ed in USA Today as an "Opposing View" to the paper's editorial board regarding a case before the Supreme Court addressing whether police need a warrant to use a GPS device to track a car travelling on public streets
- On April 17, 2012, the Center hosted its fourth annual major conference, "New Frontiers in Race and Criminal Justice." See video here. Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., delivered a "Conversation on Urban Crime" on February 7, 2012. See video here.
- Faculty Director Rachel E. Barkow published "Federalism and Criminal Law: What the Feds Can Learn from the States," 109 Michigan Law Review 519 (Feb. 2011)
- The Center's "The Conviction Integrity Project," with funding from from the Public Welfare Foundation, is chronicling the progress of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office as it administers its Conviction Integrity Unit, and provides guidance to prosecutors across the country to change prosecutorial practices in order to reduce wrongful convictions. In March 2010, Center Faculty Director Rachel Barkow was appointed to the District Attorney's Conviction Integrity Policy Advisory Panel, a group of leading criminal justice experts that advises the Office on national best practices and evolving issues in the area of wrongful convictions.
About the Center
The Center analyzes important issues of criminal law, particularly focusing on prosecutorial power and discretion.The Center analyzes important issues of criminal law, particularly focusing on prosecutorial power and discretion. It pursues this mission in three main arenas: academia, the courts, and public policy debates. The Center's academic component researches criminal justice practices at all levels of government, produces scholarship on criminal justice issues, and hosts symposia and conferences to address significant topics in criminal law and procedure. The litigation component uses the Center’s research and experience with criminal justice practices to inform courts in important criminal justice matters, particularly in cases in which exercises of prosecutorial discretion create significant legal issues. The public policy component applies the Center’s criminal justice expertise to improve practices in the criminal justice system and the public dialogue on criminal justice matters, and includes communication with elected and appointed public officials and with the media.
The Center is the first and only organization dedicated to defining good government practices in criminal prosecutions. No other organization is dedicated to improving prosecution practices through research, litigation, and the improvement of public policy.
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