Sheriff Frank Cousins to speak at Marian Court College commencement

Sheriff Frank G. Cousins Jr. will serve as commencement speaker at Marian Court College on May 15.

Cousins has been the sheriff of Essex County since 1996. Initially appointed to the post by Gov. William Weld, he was elected to his first six-year term in 1998 and was re-elected in 2004 and 2010. Under his leadership, the department has opened three offices of community corrections, two civil process offices and the county’s first women’s pre-release facility. He is responsible for the daily care and custody of more than 2,000 criminal offenders, and is committed to providing them with innovative educational and behavioral programs.

Cousins has also been at the forefront of the movement in
corrections to supervise offenders upon their release from jail. He has established a pre-release facility for offenders at the department’s Correctional Alternative Center in Lawrence, and sober houses for male offenders who need additional assistance. He has also crafted numerous drug and alcohol diversion programs for female offenders at the Women-In-Transition Center in Salisbury.

During his tenure, Cousins has worked to forge positive relationships with local, state and federal crime-fighting agencies. An example is his implementation of a web-based information network that links all 34 police departments in the county to the Essex County Correctional Facility in Middleton. He also spearheaded the drive to share facial recognition technology with area police and is working with local police and fire chiefs to establish a regional E-911 call center in Essex County.

Prior to becoming sheriff, Cousins served two terms as a state representative and was a Newburyport City councilor. He earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from Springfield College.

“We are honored to have Sheriff Cousins as our commencement speaker,” said Marian Court College President, Dr. Denise A. Hammon. “We are especially pleased to welcome him at this time, since we now offer Criminal Justice and Business Administration as baccalaureate programs. I am sure his experience and message will resonate with this year’s graduates.”

Cousins also teaches at the college level and he helped to
create the Youth Academy, a program that instills leadership and community spirit in young people.

Marian Court College has 54 students graduating and of those, 16 are criminal justice majors. Since Francis Brennan, professor and chair of the Criminal Justice Department at Marian Court, began working with Cousins in 2005, Marian Court students have annually had internships in all staff areas.

The graduation will be held at 6 p.m. on the campus of Marian Court, located on a beautiful seaside estate at 35 Little's Point Road in Swampscott. Founded in 1964 by the Sisters of Mercy, Marian Court is a Catholic, four-year, liberal arts college that attracts students mostly from the North Shore.