The Constitution Project (TCP)
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9
"Up" is the number of experts who agree that the nonprofit has had the most impact in the
field. "Down" is the number of experts who disagree that the nonprofit has had the most impact in field.
Headquarters Location: Washington, DC
Founded: 1997
Mission: The Constitution Project (TCP) brings together unlikely allies—experts and practitioners from across the political spectrum—in order to promote and safeguard America’s founding charter. TCP is working to reform the nation’s broken criminal justice system and to strengthen the rule of law through scholarship, consensus policy reforms, advocacy, and public education.
Tags:
scholarship, policy reform, public education, research, criminal sentencing, death penalty, right to counsel, rule of law
Summary
Stories
Expert Reviews
Leadership
From the Nonprofit
Leadership
Virginia Sloan.
Virginia "Ginny" Sloan is President and Founder of The Constitution Project, and serves on its Board of Directors. Prior to founding The Constitution Project in 1997, Ginny served as counsel to the House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary, Executive Director of the Task Force on Gender, Race and Ethnic Bias of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District…
See full bio.
Financial Data
Overhead Ratio:
10.86%
Total Revenue:
$2,086,688
From the Nonprofit
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Contact Info
Website:
E-Mail:
info AT constitutionproject.org
Phone:
202-580-6942
Facebook:
Address:
1200 18th Street, NW, Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20036, USA
Twitter:
Story:
In August, President Obama signed into law a bill to reduce the sentencing disparity for crack and powder cocaine offenses from 100:1 to 18:1. In other words, under prior law, the sentence for possession of five grams of crack cocaine was equivalent to that for possession of five-hundred grams of powder cocaine. The legislation also repeals the 5-year mandatory minimum sentence for first-time simple crack possession, marking the first time a mandatory minimum sentence has been repealed since the Nixon Administration.
The bill was approved unanimously by both chambers; the Senate in March, the House in July, and signed into law by President Obama in August. After the House vote, Constitution Project President Virginia Sloan was interviewed by the Associated Press. She said, "For Congress to take a step toward saying 'we have made a mistake' and this sentence is too severe ... is really remarkable."
The Project has long opposed the crack-powder disparity. In 2006, the Project's Sentencing Committee released Recommendations for Sentencing in a Post-Booker World, a report that included the following statement: "The
Committee is unanimously of the view that the 100-1 weight ratio upon which guideline and mandatory minimum sentences for powder and crack cocaine are based is unjustifiable as a matter of policy. The ratio continues to trouble many because it has a highly disproportionate impact on minorities." Earlier this year, we organized a letter from former federal judges and prosecutors in support of the original version of the Senate bill, which eliminated the crack/powder sentencing disparity entirely.
Expert Reviews of The Constitution Project (TCP)
Evidence of Impact Summary:
The Constitution Project is cited as a strong leader in the criminal justice realm due to its sensible policy recommendations, its high-quality legal analysis, and its effective advocacy programs.See expert comments.
Organization Strengths Summary:
The Constitution Project is praised for its innovative strategies, its well-respected and hard-working staff, and its ability to influence political leaders.See expert comments.
Areas for Improvement Summary:
According to experts, the Constitution Project could improve by increasing the number of people on its staff, by addressing a wider array of criminal justice issues, and by reaching more audiences.See expert comments.
Expert Comments: Evidence of Impact
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Foundation Professionals (F)
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Researchers and Faculty (R)
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Nonprofit Senior Staff (N)
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Other (consultants, journalists, policy makers) (O)
Strong Advocacy Programs |
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TCP has provided blue-ribbon panels and reports on various issues in criminal justice, particularly with regards to the death penalty. They are widely accepted and relied upon by officials on Capitol Hill. | ||
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The Constitution Project's efforts to strengthen the right to counsel throughout the country have been strong and effective. | ||
Excellent Publications |
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Their publications are excellent. For example, "Justice Denied" is an incredible resource to every jurisdiction in the country. It provides very practical advise on how to improve indigent defense practices. | ||
Valuable Legal Assistance |
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TCP provides top-notch legal analysis to courts. | ||
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This organization is one of the only that is reaching out to a VERY broad spectrum of legal professionals to support criminal justice reform. | ||
New Take on Issues |
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The have a new take on issues, and will appeal to different groups. | ||
Influential Policy Recommendations |
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The Project brings together experienced policy leaders to evaluate current conditions and make recommendations for near-term future progress in a number of issue areas including indigent defense (right to counsel) and capital punishment. | ||
Expert Comments: Organization Strengths
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Foundation Professionals (F)
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Researchers and Faculty (R)
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Nonprofit Senior Staff (N)
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Other (consultants, journalists, policy makers) (O)
Innovative Strategies |
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TCP's strategic use of the "unusual allies" approach, pairing people across political spectrum who share values and goals, has led to savvy lobbying. | ||
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The staff is excellent. TCP is not trying reform every issue but instead focuses on a few very specific and important issues. This is also a plus. | ||
Well-Respected Organization |
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TCP's main strength is its credibility with folks of all political stripes. TCP also has an excellent staff comprised of intellectually rigorous attorneys. | ||
Excellent Leadership |
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The reports written by TCP have been instrumental in making positive policy changes in many states. The experience and expertise of their Director, Virginia Sloan, is a great asset to the movement to reform the criminal justice system. | ||
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I don't know of anyone doing more than Virginia Sloan to collaborate on real solutions to build consensus among parties over ideological solutions. TCP also produces excellent programming. | ||
Expert Comments: Areas for Improvement
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Foundation Professionals (F)
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Researchers and Faculty (R)
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Nonprofit Senior Staff (N)
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Other (consultants, journalists, policy makers) (O)
Address More Issues |
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There are specific issues I wish they would tackle: conditions in prisons and mental illness in prisons and jails. | ||
More Staff |
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TCP should increase its staff so that it can consistently address the issues in all working areas, as it seems the primary focus has become the rule of law around detainees and executive power. TCP also could do more outreach to local organizations. | ||
Greater Nationwide Reach |
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They could do more webcasting of events--this may be a resource issue. The Project puts together excellent programs, but it's generally limited to those in the DC area. | ||
Leadership
Virginia Sloan
President
President
From the Nonprofit
The nonprofit has not added any comments yet. If you are a representative of this nonprofit and would like to leave a comment, please email us at
feedback@myphilanthropedia.org
with your request.