The Criminal Law and Justice Center is a left-of-center legal advocacy organization based out of the University of California (UC) Berkeley School of Law. It was founded by former San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin. The Center supports left-of-center and radical-left approaches to criminal justice. ¹

Activities

To announce its opening, the Criminal Law and Justice Center held a live discussion between former District Attorney and child of Weathermen radicals Chesa Boudin and avowed Marxist professor and former Black Panthers member Angela Davis. They discussed criminal justice reform, prison reform, and the critical race theory of law. ²

The Center bills itself as a fusion between social science backed by data analyses and “zealous advocacy,” offering a far-left perspective on the outcomes of government policies as well as the “intricacies” of the legal system in the United States. ³ The organization produces research reports, develops policy recommendations, and launches litigation coalitions to reform the criminal justice system guided by the left-of-center concept of “equity” and to address “structural inequities related to poverty and racism.” ^{4 5}

In 2024, the Center launched the “Larsen Justice Fellowship Program” for J.D. graduates with an interest in public-sector legal work and a focus on criminal justice law. It bills itself as a “yearlong apprenticeship” to cultivate candidates into skilled public sector criminal justice reform lawyers, marketing itself specifically to graduates “who most need” it. The program grants a stipend of $49,500 for one year of work plus a total of $11,000 to cover bar-related and healthcare expenses. It requires the fellows to work for a year at an “eligible sponsoring organization” and mandates that they produce mid-year and end-year reports and attend an annual conference. ⁶

Funding

The Criminal Law and Justice Center raises money through the Berkeley Law Criminal Law and Justice Center Fund, which can be contributed to via a portal on the organization’s website. ⁷

Leadership

Chesa Boudin, a radical-left activist lawyer who served as District Attorney of San Francisco from his election in 2020 until he was recalled from office in 2022, is the founding executive director of the organization. His bio page celebrates his time as DA, claiming he “implemented bold reforms to ensure that the criminal legal system delivered safety and justice for all San Franciscans.” It lists his main achievements as “a significant expansion of the office’s victim services’ division; eliminating prosecutors’ use of money bail; prosecuting police for excessive force; suing the manufacturers of ghost guns; expanding diversion to address root causes of crime; and a historic reduction in incarceration.” ⁸

1. “Criminal Law & Justice Center.” X. Accessed April 20, 2024. https://twitter.com/BerkeleyLawCLJC.
2. “Criminal Law & Justice Center’s Inaugural Event: A Conversation with Professor Angela Davis.” YouTube – UC Berkeley School of Law, September 30, 2023. Accessed April 20, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ky4QrVh1rE8.
3. “Home.” Criminal Law and Justice Center – Berkeley. Accessed April 20, 2024. https://www’.law.berkeley.edu/research/criminal-law-and-justice-center/.
4. “About Us.” Criminal Law and Justice Center – Berkeley. Accessed April 20, 2024. https://www.law.berkeley.edu/research/criminal-law-and-justice-center/about-us/.
5. “The Berkeley Law Criminal Law & Justice Center Fund.” Berkeley. Accessed April 20, 2024. https://give.berkeley.edu/fund/FN6450000?ac=132283.
6. “Larsen Justice Fellowship Program.” Berkeley Law. Accessed April 20, 2024. https://www.law.berkeley.edu/research/criminal-law-and-justice-center/larsen-justice-fellowship-program/.
7. “The Berkeley Law Criminal Law & Justice Center Fund.” Berkeley. Accessed April 20, 2024. https://give.berkeley.edu/fund/FN6450000?ac=132283.
8. “About Us.” Criminal Law and Justice Center – Berkeley. Accessed April 20, 2024. https://www.law.berkeley.edu/research/criminal-law-and-justice-center/about-us/.