21 March, 2019
The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center, a national nonprofit organization that develops research-driven strategies to increase public safety and strengthen communities, announced today that Middlesex Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian has joined its Advisory Board.
State officials across the U.S. — including here in Massachusetts — have used the findings and technical assistance provided by the CSG Justice Center to develop legislative efforts. In late 2015, Massachusetts leaders asked the CSG Justice Center to help conduct a review of the Commonwealth’s criminal justice system. As part of that review, the Massachusetts Justice Reinvestment Working Group, which Sheriff Koutoujian served on, was formed and produced the policy framework for the state’s criminal justice reform law in 2017.
“The CSG Justice Center has been at the forefront of historic criminal justice reform across the country, bringing its expertise and experience to countless jurisdictions,” said Sheriff Koutoujian. “I look forward to working side-by-side with my fellow board members to ensure this critical work of increasing public safety and strengthening communities continues.”
The CSG Justice Center Advisory Board is composed of a bipartisan group of legislators, court officials, law enforcement executives and state executive branch officials, all of whom have significant expertise related to public safety and health. Together, they set and monitor the policy and project priorities for the CSG Justice Center as well as the projects and programs it administers, including the National Reentry Resource Center, the Justice Reinvestment Initiative, and the Stepping Up Initiative.
“We are thrilled to have Sheriff Koutoujian join our advisory board,” said Megan Quattlebaum, director of the CSG Justice Center. “He is a recognized leader on criminal justice issues not only in Massachusetts but nationwide, and his experience and perspective will be invaluable to our work. We will particularly benefit from his deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities that exist at the intersection of criminal justice and behavioral health.”
In addition to serving as a CSG Justice Center Advisory Board member, Sheriff Koutoujian was also recently elected to serve as vice president of the Major County Sheriffs of America, representing sheriffs from more than 90 of the nation’s largest counties.
