Award Winners

PAPPC 2026 Adult Professional of the Year

Sarah Lind
Department of Corrections-Parole Field Services

I am incredibly honored to nominate Sarah Lind for Adult Criminal Justice Professional of the Year award.  Sarah exemplifies the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and dedication within the criminal justice field.  They consistently demonstrate a deep commitment to public safety, while also recognizing the importance of rehabilitation and second chances.  

What sets her apart is their ability to master the balance of enforcement with empathy while maintaining accountability and safety.  She approaches every case with fairness, respect, and sound judgment, ensuring that decisions are made in the best interest of both the clients and the community.  She actively works to build trust with clients, colleagues, and community, fostering relationships that support long-term positive outcomes while ensuring the safety of the community and keeping the needs of their supervised individuals at the forefront.  

Sarah is a leader among her peers, consistently willing to step in, and offer guidance.  She fosters a positive and supportive environment by recognizing and celebrating important milestones such as birthdays, marriages, and the births of children/grandchildren.  These thoughtful gestures strengthen team cohesion, boost morale, and demonstrate a genuine investment in the well-being of their colleagues.  Her participation is often sought to conduct arrests and searches due to trust in her sound tactical practices as well as her ability to remain levelheaded in critical situations.  This person brings a calming sense of presence to those critical situations, often eliminating the need for physical force and resolving situations peacefully.  As such, Sarah is often referred to as the office “mom”, making sure that the needs of those they work with are met both in the office and in the field.

Her dedication extends beyond the workplace, often engaging with community partners, treatment providers, and support networks to create opportunities for individuals to succeed.  This holistic approach reflects a genuine belief in second chances and the power of rehabilitation. Sarah’s ability to effectively manage complex and high caseload numbers while building meaningful rapport with justice involved individuals has led to measurable outcomes, including reduced recidivism and increased compliance.  

 It is because of these qualities that in 2016 it was specifically requested by the courts that Sarah be part of a team to develop and supervise the first Treatment Court Program for the county.  They had witnessed all the previously mentioned qualities that she possesses and knew that she would be the difference in making their program successful.  Ten years later she continues to do so.  Through her leadership and commitment to evidence-based practices, she helped achieve a program completion rate of nearly 49% with 42 out of 86 participants successfully graduating from the program.  This outcome reflects her ability to effectively engage a high-risk population while maintaining accountability and support; an accomplishment that aligns with, and in many cases exceeds, national averages. What makes this percentage even more astounding is the fact that it was done in a very small, rural county with very limited resources.  And beyond the numbers, this reflects dozens of individuals who have made meaningful strides toward sobriety, stability, and productive citizenship.  Many of these participants willingly continue to maintain an open line of communication with Sarah and seek continued guidance despite their cases no longer being opened for service.  Despite Sarahs busy and hectic schedule, she always make the time to assist them.  

Whether through mentoring individuals under supervision, collaborating with community partners, or supporting fellow staff, Sarah always goes above and beyond expectations of the role.  It is often joked about in the office whether this person wears a halo or devil horns as they are often the person to start office shenanigans and claim innocence but in reality, this is a true sense of the balance they signify in their duties as a criminal justice professional; the “master of the balance of enforcement with empathy”.  

In an often challenging and demanding field, she remains steadfast, professional, and mission driven.  Her contributions have had a meaningful impact on the lives of the supervised individuals she works with, the strength of the justice system and the safety of the community.  Sarah is the true image of Lady Justice and for these reasons, I wholeheartedly recommend this person for Adult Criminal Justice Professional of the year.

PAPPC 2026 Juvenile Justice Professional of the Year

Robert Dill
Bureau of Juvenile Justice Services

Robert graduated from Kaplan Career Institute with a degree in Criminal Justice. He has been working for the Bureau of Juvenile Justice Services for twelve and a half years, including the last two years with the Juvenile Court Services Unit. Robert began his career in Juvenile Justice as a Youth Development Aide at Loysville Youth Development Center in October of 2013. As Robert honed his skills at LYDC his efforts were rewarded as he was promoted to the position of Youth Development Aide Supervisor and then to Youth Development Counselor. Robert has been recognized for his "Outstanding Performance" while working with juveniles at LYDC. This recognition is well deserved as Robert has always been highly regarded by the juveniles he serves and the staff members he works with. Robert prides himself in building therapeutic relationships with the juveniles he works with. These relationships are evidenced by the sheer number of juveniles that stop by Robert's office to chat whenever they get a chance. Although his current position with the JCSU doesn't require him to, Robert is always willing to help in the units. Whether it be attending to a youth in crisis, helping with coverage, or assisting newer staff acclimate to their duties, Robert's unselfish nature is a valuable asset to BJJS and the JCSU. Although fairly new to the unit, Robert quickly learned the essential job functions of the Court Liaison Program Specialist and now excels in his current position. Some of his responsibilities include processing referrals made by Juvenile Probation Officers and making recommendations to juvenile courts as to which of the Bureau of Juvenile Justice facilities will best suit the needs of the youth. While executing his duties, Robert does an excellent job of placing the needs of the youth first, while providing guidance to the probation departments and managing the population of our facilities.

Robert is an avid Philadelphia Eagles fan and enjoys spending his free time with his wife and three daughters. His first and foremost work-related goal is to make sure everything he does results in favorable outcomes for the youth that are served by BJJS. His positive outlook, willingness to help others and overall work ethic are what makes him a pleasure to work with and deserving of this award.