Robert J. Devlin, Jr.

Superior Court Judge
Judicial District of Fairfield
Bridgeport, CT
203-579-7250
Robert.devlin@jud.ct.gov

Robert J. Devlin, Jr. is a lifelong resident of Connecticut and an honors graduate of the University Of Connecticut School Of Law.  After law school, Judge Devlin worked in private practice for three years and then as a public defender for about a year.  Thereafter, for the next eight years he served as an Assistant States Attorney in New Haven.  In late 1987, he was appointed a federal prosecutor for the United States Department of Justice in their Organized Crime Strike Force.

In 1992, Judge Devlin was appointed a Superior Court judge by Governor Lowell P. Weicker, Jr.  He has served as a criminal court judge in the Judicial Districts of New Haven, New London, Fairfield, Hartford and Stamford. Judge Devlin is presently assigned as presiding criminal judge in Bridgeport. In 2010, Judge Devlin was named Chief Administrative Judge for the Criminal Division of the Superior Court and continues to serve in that position.

Judge Devlin has presided over a number of notable trials including (1) the murder trial of Beth Carpenter (a New London lawyer convicted arranging the contract murder of her brother-in-law), (2) the penalty trial of Russell Peeler (a Bridgeport drug dealer who received the death penalty for arranging the murders of a mother and child whom Peeler believed were slated to testify against him) and (3) the death penalty trial of Christopher DiMeo who was convicted of murdering the husband and wife owners of a jewelry store in Fairfield.

Karl Lewis

Director, Programs and Treatment Division
Department of Correction
Wethersfield, CT
860-692-7494
Karl.Lewis@ct.gov
Karl G. Lewis is the Director of Programs and Treatment for the Connecticut Department of Correction. In this capacity, he is responsible for objective risk and needs assessment, population management, and rehabilitative/reentry services for the supervised population. He holds a BA in English from Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) and a Masters of Public Affairs with a concentration in Public Administration from the University of Connecticut. In addition, Lewis serves on the adjunct faculty of the Criminology Department at CCSU. During his 27 years with the Department, Lewis has served in a variety of positions including Classification Counselor, Parole Officer, Major, Deputy Warden and Director of Offender Classification and Population Management.

Thomas J. Canny

Chief Probation Officer II
Connecticut Judicial Branch
Court Support Services Division
Adult Services: Probation Policy, Special Programs & Projects
860-721-2183
Thomas.Canny@jud.ct.gov

Thomas J. Canny has over 30 years of experience in Adult Probation Services and currently manages probation policy, special programming and projects for the Judicial Branch’s Court Support Services Division. Mr. Canny is a member of the Department of Correction’s (DOC) Multi-Agency Reentry Advisory Group, the Connecticut Sentencing Commission’s Special Committee on Sex Offenders, served on the Opening Doors-Connecticut’s Homeless Youth Planning Project’s Services and Supports Workgroup, and is currently a member of the Criminal Justice Task Force chaired by the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness and the Partnership for Strong Communities.

He has co-authored a criminal justice-related research article with the Yale School of Medicine and has given presentations concerning different aspects of community corrections to the Connecticut Association of Nonprofits, the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence, the Department of Mental Health and Addictions Services’ Residential Forensic Services Division, the Division of Criminal Justice, the Division of Public Defender Services, DOC’s Parole and Community Services Division, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the New England Council on Crime and Delinquency, and the Office of Victim Services. In addition, Mr. Canny has been recognized by CCADV and MADD for his work in the areas of victim services and public policy. He received a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Southern Connecticut State University and a Master of Science Degree from the University of New Haven.