American Civil Liberties Union

 

Application Deadline: December 9, 2011

Inquiries will be accepted after the deadline until position is filled.

 

The American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California (ACLU-NC) seeks applicants for a  Criminal Justice and Drug Policy Attorney. Attorneys with three to five years experience are invited to apply. Exceptional candidates with less than three years experience may be considered. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

 

The newly-created Criminal Justice and Drug Policy project is the most recent addition to ACLU-NC’s dynamic Policy Department, comprised also of Racial Justice, Technology and Civil Liberties, and Death Penalty projects. 

 

The Opportunity:
This position provides a unique opportunity for candidates who are passionate about civil rights and civil liberties.  As the largest regional affiliate of the ACLU, the ACLU-NC has legislative, legal, policy, organizing, communications, youth activist and development departments, and uses these combined resources in pursuit of its strategic objectives.

 

The ultimate goal of our criminal justice work is to achieve a criminal justice system that operates fairly, with transparency and accountability, treating all who come into contact with it equally and respectfully regardless of race or wealth. We seek to increase public safety and reduce overincarceration by reserving arrest and prosecution for only the most serious and violent crimes; prioritizing restoration of harm and alternative solutions to the criminalization of non-violent and victimless behavior; and reducing recidivism with evidence-based rehabilitation and reentry programs.

 

The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world and California is home to one of the largest jail and prison populations in the country. California also has one of the nation’s highest recidivism rates. Prison overcrowding in California is so extreme that the U.S. Supreme Court recently ordered the state to significantly reduce our prison population to comply with Constitutional standards. In response, the state enacted criminal justice realignment legislation that represents California’s most significant criminal justice reform in decades.

 

The Criminal Justice and Drug Policy (CJDP) project works to reform the state’s criminal justice system, reduce incarceration, improve police accountability, and reform state drug policies and laws, including medical marijuana and broader marijuana law reform. The project seeks to seize this historical opportunity to significantly change California’s approach to crime and punishment. 

 

Job Description:
Under the supervision of the CJDP Director, the CJDP Attorney is expected to take on two major areas of work: 1) police practices advocacy, and 2) broader criminal justice and drug policy reform efforts. The CJDP attorney will be expected to engage in local and state policy advocacy, media and grassroots public education, community organizing, public speaking, program development, and other campaign-based activities. While this is primarily a non-litigation position, the CJDP Attorney will collaborate with the ACLU-NC’s Legal Department to help identify legal strategies and act as a resource in developing cases related to policing, criminal justice and drug policy issues, and may engage in some limited litigation.  Applicants should expect to travel throughout Northern California, especially in the Central Valley.

 

Qualifications:
Applicants must have a law degree.  Three to five years of legal or policy experience related to criminal law, civil rights, civil liberties or social justice advocacy is preferred, though exceptional candidates with less experience may be considered. Bilingual skills are desirable.

 

Other qualifications include:

 

Salary based on experience. Excellent benefits include four weeks paid vacation; medical, vision and dental insurance for staff members and their dependents and spouses/ domestic partners; life and long-term disability insurance; defined contribution plan with employer match; and thirteen paid holidays.

 

Applicants should mail a resume and cover letter describing the applicant’s interest in this specific position to the attention of Criminal Justice and Drug Policy Attorney Position, ACLU of Northern California, 39 Drumm Street, San Francisco, CA 94111 or e-mail to HR-CJAttorney@aclunc.org.

 

The ACLU is a nationwide, non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to the defense and expansion of civil liberties and civil rights. The ACLU of Northern California (ACLU-NC) was founded in 1934. It is the largest ACLU affiliate in the nation, with over 50,000 members, 22 all-volunteer chapters and a staff of approximately 50, including a legislative office in Sacramento.