Political Quotes

“Madam President, today I pay tribute to a dear friend and one of Rhode Island's most thoughtful and visionary civic leaders, Jonathan ``Jon'' Houston. After 45 years of tireless advocacy, Jon will be relinquishing his role as executive chairman of Justice Assistance, the nonprofit organization he founded both to assist victims of crime and to provide meaningful support for ex-offenders. I have been privileged to know Jon since our time together as students at La Salle Academy in Providence, RI. After high school, Jon went on to graduate from the University of Rhode Island before completing advanced management certification programs at Harvard and Salve Regina University. He also served on a number of public safety boards and commissions in Rhode Island, but his vision in founding Justice Assistance in 1978 stands as a signature achievement in the area of criminal justice reform. It is no small task to radically change the way we treat and look at victims of crime, nor is it easy to take on the challenges facing former offenders after they have completed their sentences, but that is why Jon has become such a respected figure in the community. He has dedicated his life to a problem that few others were stepping up to solve. And Justice Assistance has been enormously successful.…”