MERRILLVILLE | Lake Criminal Court Judge Thomas Stefaniak Jr. was named judge of the year by the Indiana Correctional Association.

The judge is scheduled to receive his award Wednesday during the association's 75th annual Fall Conference at the Radisson Hotel in Merrillville.

Stefaniak took the bench in 2001. He has been a member of the Lake County Community Corrections Advisory Board since 2003 and is currently vice chairman.

"Judge Stefaniak's career has been marked from the beginning with progressive thought, firm belief in the worth of the individual and the moral imperative of rehabilitative efforts," said Kellie Bittorf, Community Corrections executive director and ICA president, in a letter nominating the judge.

She credited Stefaniak with guiding the alternative sentencing program through "troubled political waters" brought about when the organization sought to expand its facility to create residential programming for female offenders. The expansion proposal had created a short-term "space war" with Sheriff Rogelio "Roy" Dominguez and his work release program.

Community Corrections later secured the space and money for expansion.