Stuart Simms '72, the secretary of Maryland's department of public safety and correctional services, received the Nelson A. Rockefeller Distinguished Public Service Award on Friday.
Simms, speaking to an audience of about 40 students, faculty members and visiting parents in the Rockefeller Center's Hinman Forum, told a story about a difficult drive-by shooting trial he prosecuted.
"We had reached one of those moments you train for ... [the witness] was crying ... the jury was crying," Simms said.
Following this painful scene, the jury found Levon Stokes, the young African American man who had shot Simms' client, guilty.
Simms said he felt a hatred from the jury and the judge "not just toward [the defendant] Levon Stokes, but toward every African American youth who is in or outside of a courtroom."
Although Stokes was convicted, Simms said he felt there had been a lack of analysis and communication in the courtroom.
He said he realized what he was feeling "was outside the paradigm of the criminal justice system," and this feeling helped him to formulate suggestions for improving the system.
Simms outlined his solutions, focusing on the need for rational discussion and research, as well as community action.
The Stokes trial impressed upon Simms that violent images of youth in the media contribute to negative perceptions of the younger generation. He said these images cause the marginalization of youth and "preclude rational debate."
"We need to stop calling our kids predators," he said.
From his experience in the system, Simms said the management and conditions in juvenile and adult prisons need to be improved, "not because we feel sorry for [the prisoners], but because we want to manage them well."
He also suggested that the penalty for evading jury duty be strengthened.
He said the judicial system is sliding down a "slippery slope," with regards to the Fourth Amendment, Miranda Rights and police and community relations, as well as the abuse of new technology, such as surveillance equipment.
He said even if some of the specific recommendations "may sound controversial, they are pragmatic."
Although Simms has a few suggestions for reform of the judicial system, he said it does not need a radical restructuring like some advocate. "We have to stop being mechanics in this criminal justice apparatus," he said.
Simms called on the audience members to extend the dialogue he initiated to their homes and communities.
"You should look at this lecture as the beginning of a discussion," he said.
Simms is this year's recipient of the award, which is given annually to an alumnus of the College in honor of former U.S. Vice President Nelson Rockefeller '30.
Simms, a former Dartmouth football captain, was selected for the award because he has made "a commitment to public service in very tangible ways," a member of the Rockefeller Center Board of Visitors said before the lecture.
After he earned his J.D. from Harvard University Law School, Simms had a private law practice. He has since worked in public service, including as assistant to the attorney general in Maryland, secretary of the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services and staff counsel to U.S. Senator Paul Sabranes.
