Contact Information

Biography

Professor John Rago's work in criminal justice focuses on conviction integrity initiatives undertaken through collaborative policy making and the establishment of science-based best practices for law enforcement, prosecutors, and the indigent defense communities. Recognizing that truth is a difficult conquest in any context, the guiding principle underlying Rago's efforts in the field of criminal justice is to establish policies and evidence-based best practices that serve with equal vigor the interests and needs of law enforcement, victims, and the accused.

Pursuant to Pennsylvania Senate Resolution (381) authored by the late Pennsylvania Senator Stewart Greenleaf (Senate Judiciary Chair) calling for a study of wrongful convictions in Pennsylvania, and under the auspices of the Joint State Government Commission, Rago served as chairperson of a 51-member statewide committee that undertook the task. Rago's committee produced Pennsylvania's Joint State Government Commission document, Report of the Advisory Commission on Wrongful Convictions, which was hailed by the New York Innocence Project for its depth of analysis and insightful and comprehensive recommendations. The seminal report provides a series of legislative reforms and suggested practices, many of which have been adopted by the PDAA and Pennsylvania law enforcement in the form of best practices. Rago continues to be consulted on matters of conviction integrity, police and prosecutorial practices, and post-conviction claims of actual innocence.

Rago has worked closely with Allegheny County District Attorney, Stephen Zappala, individual district attorneys and members of law enforcement across the Commonwealth, the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association (PDAA), policymakers in Harrisburg, PA Courts, and the criminal indigent defense and innocence advocate communities to advance conviction integrity initiatives in criminal investigations and prosecutions. Along with many partners, his ongoing efforts and collaborations in Allegheny County have produced various best-practices models for the county and the Commonwealth in such areas as evidence-based eyewitness identification practices for police and prosecutors and electronic recording of custodial interrogations. Most recently, these collaborations significantly contributed to the passage of comprehensive legislation on police-worn body cameras in Pennsylvania (PA SB 560 leading to the passage and signing into law of Act 22 of 2017). Currently, Rago is working with Allegheny County stakeholders on a range of criminal justice initiatives. Among them include holistic defense models for indigent representation, safe diversion programs for non-violent low-level offenders and justice-involved individuals with learning disabilities and mental infirmities, criminal statute reforms, and greater collaboration between criminal justice stakeholders and partners in the public health and human services communities.

Rago serves on the Pennsylvania Bar Institute (PBI) Committee on Standard Criminal Jury Instructions. He has been appointed by Pennsylvania Chief Justices Saylor (ret.) and Chief Justice Todd to serve as a member of the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing. Rago also serves as special counsel to the Allegheny County Criminal Justice Advisory Board (CJAB), a policy and best practices advisory body to the CJAB Co-Chairs, Allegheny County’s Court of Common Pleas President Judge and the Allegheny County Executive.  This advisory body membership consists of nearly 35 individuals representing Allegheny County’s criminal justice stakeholders. 

More recently, Professor Rago was appointed by Governor Wolf and re-appointed by Governor Shapiro, to serve as one of two Reporters for a statewide committee charged with studying Parolee homicides. The Pennsylvania Parolee Homicide Review Team (HRT Committee) was established by the Department of Corrections to examine the circumstances surrounding homicides committed by individuals under the supervision of the Board of Probation and Parole. The HRT Committee's primary role is to investigate and analyze homicides committed by individuals under the supervision of the PA Board of Probation and Parole. The committee collects and reviews relevant information to identify gaps in existing procedures, regulations, and training. Based on these findings, the HRT Committee recommends changes to improve public safety and prevent future homicides. The Parolee Homicide Review Team was authorized under Act 115 of 2019.

Among his appointments and board memberships, Rago serves on the Pennsylvania Bar Institute (PBI) Committee on Standard Criminal Jury Instructions. He is a member of the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing having been appointed by former Pennsylvania Chief Justice Saylor and reappointed by Chief Justice Todd.  Rago serves as Chair for the Center for Victims Board, the largest victims’ services provider in Pennsylvania.  Very recently, Rago was appointed to serve as a Member of LIPA (Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts).  Located in Liverpool, U.K., LIPA provides primary, secondary and University degree granting programs for U.K, E.U and U.S. students. LIPA was co-founded in 1996 by Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Mark Featherstone-Witty, OBE. 

Education

  • J.D., Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University
  • B.A., Duquesne University

 

School

FALL:
  • Criminal Law
  • Criminal Procedure: Fundamentals
  • Functions and Duties of the Prosecution
  • Veterans Clinic

SPRING:
  • Criminal Procedure: Fundamentals
  • Law, Public Service and the Executive Branch
  • Veterans Clinic
  • Wrongful Convictions

In addition, Professor Rago teaches courses/seminars in the Bayer School Forensic Science and Law graduate program: Philosophy and Ethics in Science and Law, Wrongful Convictions, Constitutional Criminal Procedure, and Introduction to Forensic Science and Law (team taught with Dr. Fred Fochtman).

  • Death Row Exonerations & Conviction Integrity
    John Rago, Death Row Exonerations & Conviction Integrity, in The Death Penalty: A Reference Handbook 165-168 (Joseph A. Melusky and Keith A. Pesto, 2017).
  • A Fine Line between Chaos & Creation: Lessons on Innocence Reform from the Pennsylvania Eight
    John Rago, A Fine Line between Chaos & Creation: Lessons on Innocence Reform from the Pennsylvania Eight,12 Widener L. Rev. 359 (2005-2006).
  • Truth or Consequences and Post-Conviction DNA Testing: Have You Reached Your Verdict
    John Rago, Truth or Consequences and Post-Conviction DNA Testing: Have You Reached Your Verdict,107 Dick. L. Rev. 845 (2002-2003).
  • Act 22 of 2017: Implications for Law Enforcement and the Courts. Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges
    John Rago, Act 22 of 2017: Implications for Law Enforcement and the Courts. Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges, presentation at Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts (AOPC) Judicial Education Committee Annual Meeting (July 25-28, 2019).
  • Act 22 of 2017 (Police Body Cameras, Wiretap Reform and Right to Know Applications)
    John Rago, Act 22 of 2017 (Police Body Cameras, Wiretap Reform and Right to Know Applications) The Pennsylvania Justice Network and Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Conference, State College, Pa.
    (Dec. 12, 2018).
  • In Trouble With the Law and the Role of Community: The Veterans Court
    John Rago and Daniel Kunz, In Trouble With the Law and the Role of Community: The Veterans Court, panel discussion at Moral injury and the Role of Community in the Veteran's Transformation and Homecoming (November 2, 2018).
  • Sustaining Public Confidence in Pennsylvania Criminal Justice
    John Rago, Sustaining Public Confidence in Pennsylvania Criminal Justice, presentation at Carlow University (Oct. 22, 2018).
  • GPS Tracking, PFAs, and Domestic Violence
    John Rago, GPS Tracking, PFAs, and Domestic Violence, presentation at Saint Vincent College (October 12, 2018).
  • Act 22 of 2017: Implications for Law Enforcement and the Courts
    John Rago, Act 22 of 2017: Implications for Law Enforcement and the Courts, presentation at PCSTJ Annual Meeting (July 22-28, 2018).
  • From Chaos to Creation: A Look Behind the Curtain on the Flow of Policy-Making Powers Between Pennsylvania's Executive and Legislative Leaders
    John Rago, From Chaos to Creation: A Look Behind the Curtain on the Flow of Policy-Making Powers Between Pennsylvania's Executive and Legislative Leaders, presentation at 2016 The Fifth Colonial Frontier Legal Writing Conference, Pittsburgh, PA (December 3, 2016).
  • Pennsylvania Innocence Project's First Western Pennsylvania Case Reviews
    John Rago, Pennsylvania Innocence Project's First Western Pennsylvania Case Reviews, presentation at Reed Smith, LLP, Pittsburgh, PA (July 16, 2018).
  • Criminal Law Updates/Standard Criminal Jury Instruction
    John Rago, Criminal Law Updates/Standard Criminal Jury Instruction, presentation at the Pennsylvania Bar Institute 35th Annual Criminal Law Symposium, Harrisburg, PA (June 7-8, 2018).
  • Body-worn Cameras, Forensic Evidence and the Right to Know
    John Rago, Body-worn Cameras, Forensic Evidence and the Right to Know, presentation at The Cyril H. Wecht Institute of Forensic Science and Law Continuing Legal Education Program, Pittsburgh, Pa (2017).
  • Establishing Uniform Science-Based Best Practices for Law Enforcement and Prosecutors; Making the Case for Conviction Integrity
    John Rago, Establishing Uniform Science-Based Best Practices for Law Enforcement and Prosecutors; Making the Case for Conviction Integrity, presentation at Law Enforcement/Prosecutors Program (May 23, 2014).
  • Post-conviction Actual Innocence Claims within a Constitutional Framework
    John Rago, Post-conviction Actual Innocence Claims within a Constitutional Framework, presentation at Constitution Day, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania (2014).
  • Memory Science and False Confessions: Science-Based Reforms in Pursuit of Conviction Integrity
    John Rago, Memory Science and False Confessions: Science-Based Reforms in Pursuit of Conviction Integrity, presentation at Westmoreland County Office of the District Attorney, Latrobe, PA (2014).
  • Conviction Integrity Initiatives for Allegheny County; A Model for Pennsylvania
    John Rago, Conviction Integrity Initiatives for Allegheny County; A Model for Pennsylvania, presentation at Annual Conference of the Allegheny League of Municipalities, Seven Spring, PA (2014).
  • Update on County Wide Efforts to create Uniform, Science-Based Methods on Eyewitness Examinations and Confessions and the Immediate Impact of the PA Supreme Court Decision in Commonwealth v. Walker
    John Rago, Update on County Wide Efforts to create Uniform, Science-Based Methods on Eyewitness Examinations and Confessions and the Immediate Impact of the PA Supreme Court Decision in Commonwealth v. Walker, presentation to County and City criminal justice executives and stakeholders (2014).
  • Developments in Post Conviction Actual Innocence Claims
    John Rago, Developments in Post Conviction Actual Innocence Claims, CLE at Capital Track CLE Presentation, Ohio State Bar Association (2014).
  • Pennsylvania Bar Institute Annual Criminal Justice Symposium
    The Pennsylvania Bar Institute (PBI) provides continuing legal education (CLE) for lawyers in Pennsylvania. John Rago has been a speaker and contributor at numerous PBI's annual criminal justice gatherings on topics involving matters of Conviction Integrity.
  • Geneva College Program Presentation:  Pillars of Truth: Navigating Freedom with Integrity in the Shadows (2024). John Rago was the featured presenter in this program at Geneva College commemorating the lives of Karen L. Florence and Shon Owens for their impactful legacies in reforming criminal justice in Beaver County and Beaver Falls and for their efforts helping countless citizens to rehabilitate from difficulties and return to their families and communities.  The presentation focused on the need for an unwavering commitment to navigating freedom with integrity within the legal framework.
  • Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges (2025)
    John Rago presented a CJE for PCSTJ members on legislative and best practices updates.
  • Taylor & Francis Co-Editor Book Update  (2025)
    Recently, Co Editors John Rago, along with Dr. Pam Marshall and Project Coordinator, Ben Wecht, were invited by Taylor & Francis, the country’s largest  publisher of books dealing with the forensic sciences and legal medicine, to update a textbook we produced some 19 years  ago, Forensic Science and Law: Investigative Applications in Criminal, Civil, and Family Justice.
    Bearing the same main title along with the subtitle, 21st Century Advances and Challenges, the new book is intended to help students of forensic science and criminal justice get up to speed on both new scientific capabilities and our rapidly changing social landscape by providing them with updated foundational information interspersed with case studies chosen to highlight past deficiencies and recent advances in the administration of justice. New chapters will include              discussions of the roles and challenges of ethics, bias and critical thinking in forensic scientific practice. As before, the overarching theme will be the value and necessity of science and law informing one another in the common pursuit of truth and justice.