Judge Paul P. Panepinto has served from 2001 through 2007 as an elected National Trustee and Board Member of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges.
The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges is an organization dedicated to the principle that every child and young person may be "reared in a safe, permanent, and nurturing family, where love, self-control, concern for others, and responsibility for the consequences of one's actions are experienced and taught as fundamental values for a successful life."
Judge Panepinto has been recognized by the Governor and Attorney General of Rhode Island for his development of a truancy court program that has since become a national model of excellence. Throughout his career, Judge Panepinto has been recognized for his development of innovative programs in the field of family and juvenile issues.
In 2000, Judge Panepinto reached out to Rev. Vernal Simms to begin "an innovative collaboration which, if successful, could revolutionize the juvenile criminal justice system in urban areas," according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. Under the program, juveniles would be "required to perform court-ordered community service at churches in their neighborhoods." Reverend Simms reported that such a program be be "the first program in the country that partners the church and judicial system directly."
Also that year, Judge Panepinto oversaw an embracing of technology to automate processes in the juvenile court system. The system was designed to "provide data management for detention cases, restitution activities, mental health reports, and other juvenile court services," according to The Legal Intelligencer. The system also "process[es] case intake and hearing schedules and generate[s] case management reports."
In 1998, Judge Panepinto led the way in developing a new model court that would "handle cases of dependent, abused, and neglected children," according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. Judge Panepinto was also a leader that year in establishing a new program called START - Stop Truancy and Reocmmend Treatment - that would hand down creative sentences in a courtroom-like atmosphere in order to attempt to break the cycle of truancy in Philadelphia.
For more information on the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, click here.