Daniel Conley '80 Honorary Degree Citation

May 20, 2012

When it comes to law and order in greater Boston, there is one name consistently associated with fairness, integrity, and a focus on the greater good: that name is yours, Daniel Conley. You have used the words of Thomas Paine to describe what motivates you. "If there must be trouble," Paine said, "let it be in my day, that my children may have peace."

And no one has worked harder to create such peace-for the future and for our own day-than you have. In every cause you have taken up, you have been an innovator: freeing the wrongly convicted, halting witness intimidation, adhering to high ethical standards, and protecting women and children from violence.

Since taking office as Suffolk County District Attorney, you have made a number of human rights issues your top priorities. We note especially your leadership in the campaign against human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation. In addition, you have won both local and national acclaim for the reforms you implemented to address, correct, and prevent the wrongful conviction of innocent defendants.

You have also worked tirelessly to ensure the safety and security of victims and witnesses in cases of violent crime, helping to create a Witness Protection Fund in and to strengthen existing laws on witness intimidation. That legislation has allowed Suffolk County prosecutors to protect and even relocate hundreds of individuals and families who feared retaliation for testifying in court.

And through all your efforts and all your honors, you have also kept your eye on the prize of educating young people to make their world a better place. Speaking to the alumni magazine of your own all-boys high school, you said that boys should learn early that "the best relationships are based on respect and equality rather than aggression and control." You also urged those students not to be bystanders when they see something wrong. Speaking to pre-law students at Stonehill, you counseled them, when they take their briefcases out in the world, to "use the law with ethics, integrity, and commitment to others."

Because you have served so proactively towards the prevention of crime, because you have been among the peacemakers, and because you have so consistently embodied Stonehill's values of compassion, reflection, and ethical practice in the execution of the law, Stonehill College is proud to bestow upon you, Daniel F. Conley, honoris causa, the Degree of Doctor of Laws.

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