Highlights of Our Work

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The National Law Journal named Due Process Institute's Founder + President Shana O'Toole a Trailblazer in Criminal Law for her vigorous advocacy to protect the Constitution and advance bipartisan criminal justice reform.

Pictured right: former DPI policy director Joe Luppino-Esposito and Congressman Bobby Scott (VA) on January 11, 2020 at a bipartisan community event co-hosted by Due Process Institute entitled Pretrial Justice: Examining the Need for Pretrial & Criminal Discovery Reform in Virginia (also sponsored by NACDL, VACDL, Americans for Prosperity, and Legal Aid Justice Center).

Pictured left: Director of Operations + Events Tamara Kalacevic at DPI's annual Two Views: An Exploration of SCOTUS's Criminal Law Docket event. Each year--in celebration of Constitution Day--Due Process Institute provides free CLE (and a celebratory lunch) to the nation's criminal defense lawyers in honor of their work as constitutional warriors.

Due Process Institute has also provided free training to hundreds of in-house counsel at events across the nation on a variety of criminal law topics as part of its In-House Counsel Enforcement Forums.

The passage of the Federal Prison Oversight Act into law was a culmination of tireless work from a wide array of reform organizations, including Due Process Institute. It was yet another reminder that commonsense criminal legal reform has support from both sides of the aisle. Pictured right: Policy Communications Associate Tray Brown and DPI Vice President Jason Pye lobbying for the bill on Capitol Hill. 

DPI played a key role in the bipartisan coalition of organizations working together to pass sentencing and prison reforms. Pictured right: DPI President Shana O'Toole and Policy Director Jason Pye (formerly of Freedomworks) celebrate passage of the most significant criminal reform legislation in almost a decade at the White House in December 2018. #BipartisanWorks

Pictured left: former DPI policy director Joe Luppino-Esposito and former counsel Jeremiah Mosteller as they strategized on how to pass legislation restoring federal grant eligibility for incarcerated individuals so they can receive post-secondary education in prison. In 1994, Congress passed a bill that banned people in prison from having access to Pell Grants. In December of 2020, after 26 years, that ban was finally lifted.

In 40 states, as well as under federal law, a jury can find you not guilty of a criminal charge but a judge can still sentence you to jail for many years based on the facts underlying the  acquitted charge. This is known as acquitted conduct sentencing, and Due Process Institute is leading the movement to end the practice.

Pictured right: As part of the effort, DPI's former policy director Joe Luppino-Esposito delivered a presentation on the constitutional flaws with acquitted conduct sentencing to the Criminal Justice Task Force at the American Legislative Exchange Council States and Nation Policy Summit.