The purpose of this Section shall be to anticipate, recognize and address such issues of crime, criminology, criminal procedure, correction and the administration of criminal justice as properly come before or should come before the New York State Bar Association.
Welcome to the New York State Bar Association’s Criminal Justice Section web site. Through our Section members have the opportunity to meet and network with other attorneys and judges involved in many aspects of the criminal justice system, as well as have access to many great benefits specific to our area of practice. The Section also helps improve the criminal justice system by providing a credible voice on pending criminal justice legislation and helping to develop NYSBA policy on criminal justice issues.
The Benefits of Criminal Justice Section Membership Include:
- The Section’s newsletter, New York Criminal Law Journal features updates on Section activities, recent cases and articles about current issues.
- Educational programs that examine today’s vital legal developments.
- Networking events to meet criminal justice attorneys from across the state.
- Professional growth opportunities by joining a Committee. The Section has 14 substantive committees that provide you the opportunity to research issues and influence the laws that can affect your practice, and the criminal justice system. Section members can request to join as many committees as they like, for free.
- Access to the Criminal Justice Section’s Online Community, where members post queries for guidance and referrals.
- Discounts on NYSBA CLE programs sponsored by the Criminal Justice Section. Section dues are $35 a year (NYSBA membership required) for attorneys, and FREE for law school students. Join online, or call 1-8800-582-2452.
Meet the Chair
Robert J. Masters, Executive Assistant District Attorney for Legal affairs with the Queens County District Attorneys Office, is Chair of the Criminal Justice Section.
After graduating from St. John’s University and St. John’s University School of Law, Masters worked as a law clerk for various Judges of the Criminal Term of the Supreme Court in both Queens and Kings Counties. Bob became an Assistant District Attorney in Queens County in 1990, and has worked primarily on homicide cases since 1992.
Contact the Criminal Justice Section Liaison
To learn more about this Section, please contact Amy Jasiewiczajasiewicz@nysba.org
(518) 487-5682
Online Community
New York Criminal Law Newsletter
The New York Criminal Law Newsletter features updates on Section activities, recent cases and articles about current issues. Edited by Jay Shapiro, Esq., the New York Criminal Law Newsletter is published quarterly by the Criminal Justice Section and distributed to Section Members free of charge.
The New York Criminal Law Newsletter is published as a benefit for members of the Criminal Justice Section and is copyrighted by the New York State Bar Association. The copying, reselling, duplication, transferring, reproducing, reusing, retaining or reprinting of this Newsletter is strictly prohibited without permission.
© New York State Bar Association. All rights reserved. ISSN 1549-4063 (print) ISSN 1933-8600 (online)
The New York Criminal Law Newsletter encourages article submissions on topics of interest to members of the Section. Writing an article for a NYSBA Section publication is a great way to get your name out in the legal community and advertise your knowledge. Our authors are respected state-wide for their legal expertise in such areas as final arguments, the death penalty, sentencing guidelines and reform, and victims’ rights.
MCLE credit may also be earned for legal-based writing directed to an attorney audience upon application to the CLE Board. NYSBA Guidelines for Obtaining MCLE Credit for Writing as well as a Publication Credit Application are available.
If you have written an article and would like to have it considered for publication in the New York Criminal Law Newsletter, please send it in electronic document format (pdfs are NOT acceptable), along with biographical information to its Editor:
Jay Shapiro, Esq.
cjseditor@outlook.com
Report and Recommendations of the Criminal Justice Section, Approved by the NYSBA House of Delegates on April 14, 2018
A 2017 Report of the NYSBA Criminal Justice Section Committee on Prosecution
The Use of Criminal History Records in College Admissions Reconsidered
Center for Community Alternatives (CCA), Marsha Weissman, Ph.D., Alan Rosenthal, Esq. and Patricia Warth, Esq., Elaine Wolf, Ph.D, Michael Messina-Yauchzy, Ph.D. Read Article
Criminal Justice Section Report “Sealing Records of Conviction Regarding Certain Crimes” adopted by the NYSBA House of Delegates January 27, 2012
Sealing a person’s criminal record requires balancing competing interests. On the one hand, a person with a criminal record has, after a suitable period of lawful living and rehabilitation, an interest in pursuing employment, licensing, housing, education, and other benefits without the stigma of a prior arrest or conviction. Click here to see the full report.
Consequences of Conviction: A Reminder of Some Possible Civil Penalties
Honorable Harold Baer, Jr., United States District Court Justice, Southern District of New York has written a booklet regarding “Consequences of Conviction: A Reminder of Some Possible Civil Penalties.” Click here to view the booklet.
New York State Bar Association President Vincent E. Doyle Commends Governor and Lawmakers on DNA Measure
Read the NYSBA press release here (March 2012).
To see the law go to http://public.leginfo.state.ny.us/navigate.cgi and search for S6733 or Chapter 19 of the Laws of 2012.
Re-Entry and Reintegration: The Road to Public Safety
Report and Recommendations of the Special Committee on Collateral Consequences of Criminal Proceedings, May 2006: Available upon request. (Email Amy Jasiewicz to request a copy.)
Criminal Justice Section Committee
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Appellate Practice Committee
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Bail Reform Committee
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Brady Committee
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CLE Committee (Criminal Justice)
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Civil Forfeiture Committee
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Correctional System Committee
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Defense Committee
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Discovery Reform Committee
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Diversity Committee (Criminal Justice)
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Ethics And Professional Responsibility Committee (Criminal Justice)
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Executive Committee (Criminal Justice Section)
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Judiciary Committee
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Law School Student Committee (Criminal Justice)
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Legal Representation Of Indigents Committee
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Legislation Committee (Criminal Justice)
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Membership Committee (Criminal Justice)
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Nominating Committee (Criminal Justice)
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Prosecution Committee
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Publications Committee (Criminal Justice)
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Sealing Committee
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Sentencing And Sentencing Alternatives Committee
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Sentencing Reform Committee
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Sex Offender Registration Act (SORA) Committee
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Sponsorship Committee (Criminal Justice)
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Town And Village Justice Court Committee
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Town And Village Report Implementation Committee
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Vehicle And Traffic Law Committee
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White Collar Crime Committee
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Young Lawyers Committee (Criminal Justice)
Awards
For more than 30 years, the NYSBA Criminal Justice Section has presented awards for outstanding service in the criminal justice system. The awards have expanded to include 12 different award categories representing the many different aspects of the criminal justice system. Awards are presented at the Section’s luncheon during the NYSBA’s Annual Meeting in New York City in January. Anyone is welcome to submit a nomination.
Persons who are ineligible for an award:
Previous award winners in a category will not be approved again in the category. A person may be nominated an approved for an award in a different category after 3 years. Check to see if your nominee is listed in the Alphabetical Listing of Past Award Recipients.
Nomination Deadline: Friday, October 2020
See below for lists of previous award recipients grouped by award.
Submissions:
You may nominate in one or more categories by submitting an additional ballot/s; however, you are urged to supply supporting documentation and comment for each nominee of at least 25-50 words describing the nominee’s significant achievements.
You must disclose how you know the nominee. For example: You work on a committee with the person; s/he was your adversary or represented a co-defendant in a trial; s/he is your employee/er, relative or friend; you read about the person on the media.
There are two ways to submit a nomination:
1. Submit your nomination online here. Additional documentation is strongly recommended and can be submitted within the online nomination, emailed to ajasiewicz@nysba.org or mailed to Amy Jasiewicz, Section Liaison, NYSBA, One Elk Street, Albany, NY 12207
2. Download and print the Nomination Ballot, and mail the completed ballot and supporting documentation to: Amy Jasiewicz, Section Liaison, NYSBA, One Elk Street, Albany, NY 12207.
Click below to view past recipients.
ALPHABETICAL LISTING OF PAST AWARD RECIPIENTS
Charles F. Crimi Memorial Award
To recognize the professional career of a defense lawyer in private practice that embodies the highest ideals of the Criminal Justice Section.
David S. Michaels Memorial Award
To recognize courageous efforts in promoting integrity, justice, and fairness in the criminal justice system.
Outstanding Appellate Practitioner
Established in 2003, to recognize outstanding advocacy, protection of due process and the public welfare, and the integrity of the judicial system by defense attorneys and prosecutors.
Outstanding Contribution in the Field of Correctional Services
To acknowledge outstanding contributions in the field of correctional services.
Outstanding Contribution in the Field of Criminal Justice Legislation
To recognize outstanding work in proposing or implementing needed reforms, which specifically includes political action and fundamental research into the operation and effectiveness of the entire criminal justice system.
Outstanding Contribution in the Field of Criminal Law Education
To recognize outstanding work in criminal law education, the promotion of interest in the practice of criminal law, and the provision to students the opportunity to gain practical insight into the operation of the criminal justice system.
Outstanding Contribution in the Field of Public Information
In recognition of a significant effort to acquaint the public and the bar with the operation of the criminal justice system; to alert the public to the problems besetting that system; and to foster dedication to the preservation of liberty through law.
Outstanding Contribution to the Bar and the Community
Special recognition for service to the bar and the community.
Outstanding Police Contribution in the Criminal Justice System
To recognize outstanding efforts to improve the police function within the criminal justice system.
Outstanding Prosecutor
To recognize a prosecutor who has made special contributions to not only the prosecution community, but to the bar at large, and whose professional conduct evidences a true understanding of a public prosecutor’s duty to advance the fair and ethical administration of criminal justice.
The Michele S. Maxian Award for Outstanding Public Defense Practitioner
Recognizes an outstanding public defense practitioner.
The Vincent E. Doyle, Jr. Award for Outstanding Judicial Contribution in the Criminal Justice System
To honor outstanding judicial effort to improve the administration of the criminal justice system.
Scholarships
January 1: YLS Trial Academy Scholarship Application Deadline.
The Criminal Justice Section is pleased to co-sponsor the NYSBA Young Lawyers Section’s annual Trial Academy, and offer a scholarship to attend the Academy.
The Young Lawyers Section Trial Academy is the New York State Bar Association’s only comprehensive trial training program. This intensive 5-day trial techniques and advocacy program is geared toward young and new lawyers – teaching, advancing, and improving the quality of their experience in the courtroom, in order to benefit their careers and their client’s interests.
The Trial Academy will be held on Saturday, March 28, through Wednesday, April 1, 2020.
Participating in the Trial Academy is the perfect opportunity to gain critically important trial experience outside of the courtroom. Participants attend a morning lecture on an aspect of a trial and spend the afternoons in small groups with their designated team leader demonstrating the day’s trial skill from a previously provided fact pattern. One-on-one critiques will be provided by a rotating faculty made up of NYSBA leadership and leading litigators, advocates and Judges from every region of New York.
The Trial Academy is open to any attorney wishing to learn or improve upon their trial skills and provides a unique opportunity for participants to have a meaningful experience which extends beyond a typical classroom setting.
To apply for the Criminal Justice Section’s Trial Academy scholarship, please complete the application form, and submit by: January 1, 2020.
The scholarship is a full tuition scholarship; the attendee is responsible for room, travel, and some food.
Scholarship recipients will be notified as soon as possible.
For more information, please email Amy Jasiewicz or phone/digital fax 518.487.5682
Video Presentations
Welcome to the Criminal Justice Section Library of Video Lectures!
Stop & Frisk: A Hands-On Community Forum-February, 10, 2014
Criminal Justice Section Fall Meeting 2013 “Forensics and the Law III”
Challenging Firearms and Toolmark Identification
By Adina Schwartz, J.D., Ph.D
Professor, John Jay College of Criminal Justice
September 16, 2011
Ins and Outs of the Office of Chief Medical Examiner
Presented by Mimi C. Mairs
Special Counsel, Forensic Biology
June 6, 2011
Emerging DNA Issues in New York State
Partial Matching & Familial Searching
Presented by Mimi C. Mairs
Special Counsel, Forensic Biology
June 6, 2011
Criminal Justice Section Spring Meeting Part 1 and 2.
Legal Links of Interest
GENERAL LINKS
- New York Law Journal
- National Law Journal
- New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- New York State Defenders Association
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
CRIMINAL LAW
Federal Material
Federal Constitution and Statutes:
- U.S. Constitution:
- U.S. Code: 18 U.S.C., Part I – Crimes
Federal Agency Regulations:
Federal Judicial Decisions:
- U.S. Supreme Court: Recent Criminal Law Decisions
State Material
State Judicial Decisions:
- N.Y. Court of Appeals:
- Appellate Decisions from Other States
INTERNATIONAL MATERIAL
Key Internet Sources:
- Federal Agencies:
- House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
- Buffalo Criminal Law Center
- Vera Institute of Justice
- United Nations Justice Network (UNCJIN)
- CopNet – Police Departments Around the Country and World
- National Criminal Justice Reference Service
- Bureau of Justice Statistics
- National Archive of Criminal Justice Data
- American Civil Liberties Union – ACLU
- Crimelynx
- Nolo Legal Encyclopedia
- freeadvice.com
- ABA Criminal Justice Section
- National Criminal Justice Association
- Centre for Criminology Library, University of Toronto
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
Federal Material
Federal Constitution and Statutes:
- U.S. Constitution
- U.S. Code: 18 U.S.C. – Crimes and Criminal Procedure
Federal Court Rules:
Federal Judicial Decisions:
- U.S. Supreme Court:
- U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals: Recent Criminal Procedure Decisions
State Material
State Statutes:
State Judicial Decisions:
- N.Y. Court of Appeals:
- Appellate Decisions from Other States
Other Resources
Key Internet Sources:
- freeadvice.com
- U.S. Sentencing Commission
- ABA Criminal Justice Section, Committee on Rules of Evidence and Criminal Procedure
- Litigator’s Internet Resource Guide: Rules of Court
- Federal Judicial Center Publications
- Senate Judiciary Committee
- House Judiciary CommitteeOther Topics Dealing with Court Procedure, Remedies, and Alternatives
DEATH PENALTY
Federal Material
Federal Constitution and Statutes:
- U.S. Constitution: Eighth Amendment – Cruel and Unusual Punishment
- U.S. Code: Sections in Title 18 dealing with the death penalty
Federal Judicial Decisions:
U.S. Supreme Court:
- Historic Supreme Court Death Penalty Decisions
- Recent Supreme Court Death Penalty Decisions
- U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals: Recent Decisions on the Death Penalty
State Material
State Statutes:
State Judicial Decisions:
- N.Y. Court of Appeals:
- Appellate Decisions from Other States
Other References
Key Internet Sources:
JUVENILE JUSTICE
Federal Material
Federal Statutes:
- Title 42 U.S.C. , Chapt. 72 – Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
State Material
State Statutes:
- Uniform Laws
- Model Juvenile Court Act (adopted in Georgia, North Dakota, and Pennsylvania)
- State Statutes
Judicial Decisions:
- N.Y. Court of Appeals:
- Appellate Decisions from Other States
Other References
Key Internet Sources:
- National Criminal Justice Reference Service – Juvenile Justice
- Juvenile Justice Home Page
- The Juvenile Justice Coordinating Program
- Law review, op-ed, and magazine articles relating to juvenile crime, expungement of juvenile crime records, and the juvenile justice system generally
- Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
- National Youth Gang Center
PRISONS AND PRISONER’S RIGHTS
Federal Materials
U.S. Constitution
Federal Judicial Decisions:
U.S. Supreme Court
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