R. Emmett Madden, Esquire is proud to announce his recent appointment by Chairman Josh Shapiro to the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD). The PCCD is a group of Pennsylvania’s top experts on criminal justice issues including judges, justices, police chiefs, and heads of many of the most important criminal justice agencies (probation officers, district attorneys and public defenders). The Crime Commission makes recommendations to the governor and legislature regarding important issues facing all citizens.
Topics currently being reviewed or discussed by the PCCD:
1. Body Worn Cameras (BWC’s) for Law Enforcement.
The Commission is studying the use of BWC’s by law enforcement and making recommendations about when these videos should be given to defense attorneys and defendants. Some questions include: When, if ever, can these videos be released to the public? And do such cameras and videos coincide with Pennsylvania’s relatively strict privacy laws? The Commission hopes to make recommendations for their use statewide.
2. Behavior Health and Treatment in the Criminal Justice System.
Many counties throughout the Commonwealth have begun alternative court programs such as Treatment Court, Behavior Health Court, and Veterans Court. The Criminal Justice Advisory Board (CJAB) discussed these courts in depth at a 2015 conference.
3. Prisoner Re-Entry Programs.
Prisoner Re-Entry Programs are essential to the rehabilitation of prisoners and the safety of those neighborhoods to which they return. These programs save taxpayer dollars when implemented properly. The CJAB takes their responsibility in evaluating re-entry programs very seriously.
4. Booking with Technology.
The Partners in Community Development or PICD are looking into best practices for state and local law enforcement to update their booking procedures using the latest technology. New technology is being used in fingerprinting, photo imaging, and the new Law Enforcement Justice Information System. LEJIS is a data-driven, pointer index system that gives police departments access to each other’s police reports and criminal complaints.
For more information regarding the Commission’s work on these topics, please go here.
Mr. Madden thanks Governor Wolf and Commissioner Shapiro for this honor and looks forward to serving as a member of the PCCD.
