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:
Faculty Director Rachel E. Barkow testifies before Congress and before the U.S. Sentencing Commission
- Faculty Director Rachel Barkow published "Institutional Design and the Policing of Prosecutors: Lessons from Administrative Law" in the Stanford Law Review, "The Court of Life and Death: The Two Tracks of Constitutional Sentencing Law and the Case for Uniformity" in the Michigan Law Review, and "The Politics of Forgiveness: Reconceptualizing Clemency" in the Federal Sentencing Reporter.
- Executive Director Anthony Barkow appeared on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams to comment on the exortion case involving David Letterman.
- Faculty Director Professor Rachel Barkow testified before the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection and before the United States Sentencing Commission. Before the House subcommittee, Professor Barkow testified regarding the proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency and discussed, among other things, the value of including state attorney general enforcement as a counterweight to the possibility of agency capture. Read her testimony here and view it here (panel 2). Before the Commission, Professor Barkow made various recommendations for reforming the federal sentencing system. (Read her testimony here.)
- On November 19, Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, will deliver a Public Address on White Collar Crime. RSVP here. On November 15, the Center will co-host "New Perspectives on Brady and Other Disclosure Obligations: What Really Works?" Get more information and RSVP here. In May 2009, the Center held its inaugural annual conference, "Regulation By Prosecutors." Read more about the book to be published out of the conference here and view video of the conference here.
- The Center filed an amicus brief in Sullivan v. Florida & Graham v. Florida, arguing that sentences imposed upon two juveniles who are serving life sentences without the possibility of parole for non-homicide crimes violated the Eighth Amendment's "Cruel and Unusual Punishments" Clause. The case will be argued on November 9, 2009.
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 the public dialogue on criminal justice matters, including in discussions 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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