Sheriff Koutoujian addresses Everett Kiwanis & Everett Rotary Clubs

Middlesex Sheriff Peter J Koutoujian addressed a joint meeting of the Everett Kiwanis and Rotary Clubs at Everett High School on August 23.

Sheriff Koutoujian spoke about programs designed to assist inmates with successful reentry, as well as efforts to provide members of the public with tools to stay safe.

“I want to thank the Everett Kiwanis and Rotary Clubs for the invitation to talk about the incredible wok the men and women of the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office are doing each and everyday,” said Sheriff Koutoujian.  “Our innovative programs – particularly for incarcerated veterans and those battling opioid addiction – are making differences in the lives of countless men in our custody, their loved ones and the community.”

The Sheriff spoke in depth about presentations he made at the White House in June on the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office Medication Assisted Treatment and Directed Opioid Recovery (MATADOR) program, as well as on mental health and incarceration at the White House Forum on Disability and Criminal Justice in mid-July.  In 2015, nearly 46 percent of all new admittances to the Middlesex Jail & House of Correction reported a history of mental illness.

The MATADOR program provides inmates nearing the end of their sentences with a shot of Vivitrol, a non-habit forming medication, which blocks the effects of opioids for up to a month.  Along with substance abuse counseling and other services, the program seeks to continue an inmate’s sobriety upon their reentry to the community.

Additionally, Sheriff Koutoujian discussed the establishment earlier this year of the Commonwealth’s first specialized housing unit for incarcerated veterans.  The Housing Unit for Military Veterans, or HUMV, offers programming specifically tailored to veterans’ needs including: employment readiness, substance abuse treatment, visits from the Department of Veterans Services, and guest speakers from military and civilian life.  Governor Charlie Baker joined the Sheriff to formally open the unit in March and thus far more than 70 justice-involved veterans have participated in HUMV.

In addition to members of the Everett Kiwanis and Rotary Clubs, staff members of the Everett Public Schools were also present for the meeting.

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