John Koufos, J.D., is the former national director of reentry initiatives at Right on Crime and the executive director of Safe Streets & Second Chances, an initiative of Texas Public Policy Foundation, Koch Industries, and Florida State University. He works in the Foundation’s Washington, D.C., office.
Koufos has been widely recognized for his professional advocacy and was previously certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a criminal trial attorney. He has tried complex jury trials to verdict and received numerous professional achievement awards and accolades.
Koufos’s reentry work was recognized by President Trump, and he works with the public and private sectors to build partnerships designed to lead to better employment outcomes and safer communities. Koufos’s work began in New Jersey, where he helped the Christie administration and five former governors implement effective, evidence-based reentry services. Koufos designed New Jersey’s nationally recognized legal program, combining staff lawyers with approximately 70 pro bono lawyers to help the reentry community clear old tickets and warrants and restore driver’s licenses, removing roadblocks to job acquisition.
Koufos’s lived experience on all sides of the criminal justice system makes him a credible spokesperson. His leadership in the business community was recognized in 2016 when New Jersey Business Journal named him one of New Jersey’s Top 40 Under 40. He is a regular speaker on criminal justice, healthcare, and workforce development, and helps cities, states, and the federal government to optimize reentry systems. Koufos has been interviewed by a wide array of outlets including the C-SPAN Washington Journal, the Epoch Times, the New York Times, New Jersey Monthly, and dozens of radio outlets. His commentaries have been published in the New York Post, on Fox News, and in regional media around the nation.
Koufos has a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law and both an M.A. in criminal justice, specializing in the law and procedure, and a B.A. in criminal justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice.