Boston Municipal P.O. Named to Governor's Commission
on Criminal Justice Innovation

           John Turner, a Boston Municipal Court Probation Officer, has been appointed to Governor Mitt Romney's Commission on Criminal Justice Innovation which was established to find ways to improve safety for citizens in the state.

           Turner will serve on the Urban Crime Strategies sub-committee. The committee will research crime prevention and intervention strategies while sharing information with a cross section of law enforcement agencies.

           An eight-year employee of the Massachusetts Probation Service, Turner was also one of 11 Suffolk County Probation Officers who were recognized by U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan for their dogged efforts to make communities safe.

           Each committee member, according to a letter written by Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey, will report on their own field and make recommendations by the beginning of the year. "We anticipate that this committee will become a unique forum in which members share their valuable knowledge and expertise," stated Lt. Governor Healey in a letter to Turner. "This is an exciting opportunity for public service in our Commonwealth. We hope that the diversity of professions represented will foster an inter-disciplinary approach and formulate innovative recommendations on the wide range of criminal justice problems our state faces."

           Turner said of his appointment, " I am both honored and excited to be selected to serve on this committee. I look forward to working with members to help make communities safer."

           The Massachusetts Probation Service is a department of the Massachusetts Trial Court. There are 12 Superior Court, 70 District Court and 12 Probate and Family Court probation offices throughout the Commonwealth. Probation's Juvenile Court system includes 11 divisions which represent every county in the state. The Office of the Commissioner of Probation (OCP) serves as the central administrative office for the state Probation service and the Office of Community Corrections which operates 22 Community Corrections Centers throughout the state.