Criminal Justice Commission

At a Glance

HONORABLE PETER T. ZARELLA, Chairman

Established – 1984

Statutory authority - ARTICLE XXIII of the Amendments to the Connecticut Constitution

and General Statutes sections 51-275a, 51-277 and 51-278.

Central office - 300 Corporate Place,

Rocky Hill, CT 06067

Number of employees - 0

Recurring operating expenses - $1,136.00

Organizational structure - The Criminal Justice Commission is composed of the Chief State’s Attorney and six members nominated by the Governor and appointed by the General Assembly. Two members, by Constitutional provision, must be judges of the Superior Court.

Mission

The primary function of the Criminal Justice Commission is to appoint the full-time prosecutorial officials of the Division of Criminal Justice: Chief State’s Attorney, State’s Attorneys, Deputy Chief State’s Attorneys, and Deputy Assistant State’s Attorneys. The Commission also may investigate complaints concerning the performance of the Chief State’s Attorney, State’s Attorneys, and others. If necessary the Commission may remove these appointees for cause.

Statutory Responsibility

The Criminal Justice Commission was established by an amendment to the Connecticut Constitution in conjunction with the creation of the Division of Criminal Justice. The Commission has statutory authority to adopt regulations to carry out its mandates.

Improvements/Achievements 2003-04

The Commission appointed Matthew C. Gedansky as State's Attorney for the Judicial District of Tolland in succession to Paul E. Murray, who had previously been appointed Deputy Chief State’s Attorney for Operations, and re-appointed Hartford Judicial District State’s Attorney James E. Thomas and Waterbury Judicial District State’s Attorney John A. Connelly. In addition, the Commission appointed eight new Deputy Assistant State's Attorneys to serve as prosecutors throughout the Division of Criminal Justice.

Membership

Hon. Peter T. Zarella, Chairman; Hon. Thomas A. Bishop, Charles L. Howard, Esq.; Garrett Moore, Esq.; Ann G. Taylor, Esq.; Alfred A. Turco, Esq.; and Chief State’s Attorney Christopher L. Morano.