Sheriff Addresses Mystic Valley NAACP

Middlesex Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian addressed attendees Monday evening at the general meeting of the Mystic Valley Area Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

“I want to thank the Mystic Valley Area Branch of the NAACP and President Neil Osborne for the invitation to speak with them about the work of the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office,” said Sheriff Koutoujian. “Community relationships and dialogue are incredibly important and I deeply value every opportunity I have to engage with residents.”

In remarks entitled The Journey Home: A Pathway to Success, Sheriff Koutoujian discussed educational and vocational programs available for sentenced inmates, as well as addiction recovery programming at the Middlesex House of Correction. He spoke with attendees about how the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office utilizes those programs to prepare men for re-entry and to help reduce recidivism through individualized plans tailored specifically to the risk and need factors of each inmate.

“From the moment an individual arrives at the house of correction to serve a sentence, we are working to prepare him for his return to society,” said Sheriff Koutoujian. “Our goal is to return these men back to their communities, healthier and more prepared to be productive family members and citizens.”

Sheriff Koutoujian also provided those in attendance with current statistics related to drug and alcohol usage
among those being held at the Middlesex House of Correction and Jail. Presently, more than 80 percent of those held pre-trial and sentenced self-identify with an addiction issue, and upon intake 61 percent have required medical detoxification in the first four months of 2015. Medical staff are on pace to detox more than 2,500 men this year, with approximately 1,500 of those being for opioids or a combination of substances including opioids.

– Submitted by Sheriff Koutoujian’s office