Criminal Justice Commission

At a Glance

RICHARD N. PALMER, 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 - $355.00

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 2009-10

The Criminal Justice Commission appointed Leonard C. Boyle as Deputy Chief State’s Attorney for Operations and re-appointed John J. Russotto as Deputy Chief State’s Attorney for Personnel, Finance, and Administration. The Commission re-appointed David I. Cohen as State=s Attorney for the Judicial District of Stamford-Norwalk, Kevin D. Lawlor as State’s Attorney for the Judicial District of Ansonia-Milford, Timothy J. Liston as State’s Attorney for the Judicial District of Middlesex, and Stephen J. Sedensky III as State’s Attorney for the Judicial District of Danbury. In addition, the Commission appointed three new Deputy Assistant State's Attorneys to serve as prosecutors throughout the Division of Criminal Justice. The Commission continued to explore methods of enhancing diversity within the Division.

Membership:

Hon. Richard N. Palmer, Chairman; Hon. Thomas A. Bishop; Maura H. Horan, Esq.; Garrett Moore, Esq.; Ann G. Taylor, Esq.; Alfred A. Turco, Esq.; and Chief State’s Attorney Kevin T. Kane.