Sheriff Koutoujian addresses League of Women Voters forum

Middlesex Sheriff Peter J Koutoujian recently joined community members for a forum at the Robbins Library to discuss a host of topics including criminal justice reform and efforts to reduce recidivism.

The October 24 event was hosted by the League of Women Voters of Arlington, and co-sponsored by the Mystic Valley NAACP, the Mass Incarceration Working Group of the First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington, the Massachusetts Community Action Network, the Jobs Not Jails Coalition, League of Women Voters of Winchester and the Arlington Human Rights Commission.

“I want to thank all those who attended for the opportunity to talk about the important work we are doing,” said Sheriff Koutoujian.  “It’s critically important we continue to have these conversations about our efforts to help individuals return to the community healthier and more prepared to be productive citizens.”

The Sheriff spoke in depth about efforts that have garnered both local and national attention.  Among the initiatives discussed was the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office Medication Assisted Treatment and Directed Opioid Recovery (MATADOR) Program.  In June, the Sheriff spoke about MATADOR and the importance of data collection at a White House gathering of corrections and medical professionals.

"I particularly liked hearing that Sheriff Koutoujian uses data to evaluate the efficiency of programs," said Colleen Kirby, criminal justice specialist for the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts.

Sheriff Koutoujian also discussed the recent announcement the MSO, Arlington PD and more than a dozen other Middlesex County police departments have joined the White House-led Data-Driven Justice Initiative (DDJ).  The DDJ Initiative seeks to reduce unnecessary pre-trial incarceration by enhancing the use of new and existing data to divert low-level offenders with mental illness out of the criminal justice system and into treatment. 

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