Welcome to the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Criminal Justice Section’s Web Site

Our section has a long-standing tradition of examining issues that arise in the everyday practice of Criminal Law in Philadelphia. Recently, the section has addressed a number of issues, including raising Court Appointment Fees, making improvements to the Lawyers Lounge, and the retention of Police Camera Surveillance Videos.

We conduct our monthly meetings at the Philadelphia Bar Association, 1101 Market Street in the 11th floor conference room. The meetings are scheduled on the last Tuesday of each month. (Schedule below) We feature both an Appellate Court and Legislative Update. In addition, in the coming months we will feature topical guest speakers including Sayde Ladov the Chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association, President Judge Pamela Dembe, Criminal Court Administrative Judge Sheila Woods Skipper, and Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey.

The meetings provide lively debates and discussions of topical issues, when our section speaks on a particular issue it is with the authority of the Philadelphia Bar Association.

Lunch is available for a small fee. Please join us.

Nominations Sought for the Thurgood Marshall Award

Recommendations Sought for the Cesare Beccaria Award

Nominations are now being accepted for the Criminal Justice Section's Thurgood Marshall Award. The award will be presented at the Section's Annual Holiday Party.

The Award represents the highest honor that the Criminal Justice Section can give to anyone, whether or not a member of the Section, who exemplifies the ideals of Justice Thurgood Marshall's career. The Award should be for long-time service, not an individual event, although a specific event can be the triggering factor.

This year's Awards Committee is co-chaired by Kevin Mincey and Brad V. Shuttleworth. Nominations and/or questions should be sent to either: minceylaw@gmail.com or brad@shuttleworth-law.com.

All nominations should include the full name, address and telephone number of both the nominee and the person submitting the nomination, a summary of the nominee's accomplishments, and any pertinent supporting material the committee should consider. All nominations must be received no later than 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 15, 2010.

In addition, you may make recommendations for the Cesare Beccaria Award, which is awarded annually to one who exemplifies the ideals of the career of Cesare Beccaria. The Beccaria award recognizes a member of the Philadelphia Bar who has had distinguished achievement in the field of education in criminal justice, including legal and/or general education activities in the field. The Justinian Society participates in the award and its presentation.

MONTHLY SECTION MEETINGS

• July 27
• August 31
• September 28
• October 26
• November 30
• December 28

Section News

Please keep checking the Criminal Justice Section area of the Philadelphia Bar Association website and the Criminal Justice Section Blog for important news and updates.

The Criminal Justice Section offers prosecutors, defense attorneys and judges the opportunity to meet and collaborate on issues of mutual concern within the criminal justice system. Membership in the section is available not only to lawyers and judges; any person employed within the criminal justice system in Philadelphia, or by the courts, is eligible to become an associate member of the section. In addition to continuing legal education courses developed specifically for criminal law practitioners, the section also sponsors public forums on issues of concern to the broader community.

The Criminal Justice Section has three awards:

1. Thurgood Marshall Award (formerly the Criminal Justice Section Award). It is presented at our annual holiday party in December.

2. Cesare Beccaria Award. It is presented every November at a reception in the Mayor's Reception Room in City Hall. The Justinian Society participates in the award and presentation.

3. Henry Czajkowski Award. This award was created in 1996 to honor the late Hank Czajkowski, an outstanding court administrator. It is to be presented from time to time to non-lawyers who have made outstanding contributions to the administration of justice. In 1996 it was presented to Joseph A. Cairone.

The purpose of the Award is to represent the highest honor that the Criminal Justice Section can give to anyone, whether or not a member of the Section, who exemplifies the ideals of Justice Thurgood Marshall's career. The Award should be for long-time service, not an individual event, although a specific event can be the triggering factor.

1. It should be awarded to someone who has devoted time, energy and talent to improving the standards of justice in the Philadelphia and Pennsylvania courts.

2. It should recognize significant accomplishments in improving the administration of criminal justice.

3. It should recognize signficant accomplishments in achieving the goals of the Criminal Justice Section.

4. It should recognize distinguished service consistently rendered over a considerable period of time or a single outstanding achievement in a particular year. (The fact that this single achievement may have occured some years ago is not material so long as it has not been recognized).

5. It should not be awarded merely for exemplary permance in a paid job relating to criminal justice. It should represent service above and beyond compensated employment.

6. The recipient should demonstrate great legal talent, administrative abilities or devotion to a cause, whether popular or not. For example, a lawyer (prosecutor or defense) who represents unpopular causes or unpopular defendants; a judge who develops innovative techniques for disposing of cases without minimizing rights of defendants or victims; an administrator who devises new systems of disposing cases; an organization which makes an innovative contribution to the criminal justice system; an individual or organization which fosters legal education and training.

Thurgood Marshall Award Recipients:

• Co-Recipients, Maureen Rowley, Esq. and Michael Coard, Esq.
• Judge Darnell C. Jones II
• George Henry Newman, Esq.
• A. Charles Peruto, Esq.
• Judge Stanley Kubacki
• Stanford Shmukler, Esq.
• Judge Lois Forer
• Bruce A. Franzel, Esq.
• Burton A. Rose, Esq.
• Judge Carolyn Engel Temin
• Steven G. Laver, Esq.
• Judge Legrome Davis
• Councilman David Cohen
• Deputy District Attorney Raymond Harley
• Judge Anthony J. DeFino
• Judith Frankel Rubino, Esq.
• Judge Abram Frank Reynolds
• Bernard L. Siegel, Esq.
• Judge Benjamin Lerner.

STANDARDS FOR AWARDING THE BECCARIA AWARD

This Award represents the highest honor that the Criminal Justice Section can give to any member of the Bar, whether or not a member of the Section, who exemplifies the ideals of the career of Cesare Beccaria, the 18th century Italian scholar whose writings presaged the dawn of the modern penal system. The Award is to recognize distinguished achievement of a member of the Philadelphia Bar in the field of education in criminal justice, including legal and/or general education activities in the field.

Beccaria published a book in 1764 advocating a new and complete system of criminal law and procedure stressing swift trials, prompt, moderate and certain punishment, rehabilitation and the abolition of the death penalty. However, advocacy of these principles should not be the only criteria for the Award.

1. It should be awarded to someone who has devoted time, energy and talent to educating and improving the standards of education in the Philadelphia and Pennsylvania area in the field of criminal justice.

2. It should recognize significant accomplishments in improving educational principles in the criminal field.

3. It should recognize significant accomplishments in achieving the goals of the Criminal Justice Section.

4. It should recognize distinguished service consistently rendered over a considerable period of time or a single outstanding achievement in a particular year. (The fact that this single achievement may have occurred some years ago is not material so long as it has not been previously recognized).

5. It should not be awarded merely for exemplary performance in a paid job relating to criminal education, but should represent service above and beyond compensated employment.

6. The recipient should demonstrate legal educational efforts, development of new and innovative courses in criminal education, and should foster legal education and training in the field of criminal justice.