Middlesex Sheriff's Office Gets Accreditation

Photo (submitted): Middlesex Sheriff’s Office accreditation team member David Lane (second from left), Middlesex Sheriff’s Office Special Sheriff Shawn Jenkins (third from left), Middlesex Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian (fourth from left) and Middlesex Sheriff’s Office accreditation team member Captain Daniel M. Finn (fifth from left). They are flanked on either side by the ACA Commissioners who comprised the final accreditation panel.

For the first time in the history of the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office (MSO), the agency has received accreditation from the American Correctional Association (ACA).

The announcement came Sunday, Aug. 16, after Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian and key policy and standards staff from the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office presented before the Commission on Accreditation for Corrections panel for a final accreditation decision at the ACA annual conference in Indianapolis.

“This is a monumental day for our staff and the history of the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office,” said Sheriff Koutoujian in an announcement. “This time last year, our office was in the midst of major change as we safely departed the Middlesex Jail in Cambridge and transitioned to the House of Correction in Billerica. Almost one year to that date, we continue to move the MSO forward by achieving this incredible milestone.”

This important recognition is bestowed on facilities that the ACA believes are the “best of the best” in the correctional field, said the announcement. The Middlesex Sheriff’s Office has been working since 2011 toward accreditation, culminating in a successful audit by the ACA earlier this summer and the presentation today. The MSO earned perfect 100% scores on 374 mandatory and non-mandatory standards reviewed by ACA.

“This recognition, bestowed to us Sunday, will be a reminder to all those who enter our facility of the professional work environment we collectively strive for every day,” said Sheriff Koutoujian in a statement. “This could not have been possible without the hard work, dedication and collaboration of every employee of the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office.” To learn more about the