Mark Masterson is a native New Yorker who moved to Wichita to attend Wichita State University (WSU) in 1969. He graduated in 1973, earning a bachelor’s degree with major course work in sociology with emphasis in criminology. He went on to earn a master’s degree in education (counseling) from WSU in 1978. He has been a National Certified Counselor since 1984.
Mark began working in corrections in 1982 as a juvenile court services officer in the 18th Judicial District. He has been with Sedgwick County since 1983, when he went to work at Judge James V. Riddel Boys Ranch (JRBR). He rose through the ranks working as juvenile counselor and chief counselor at JRBR, project director at Sedgwick County Youth Aftercare Project, program coordinator and assistant director at the Department of Youth Services. In 1995 when the Youth Services and Community Corrections departments merged, he was named Youth Services Division administrator with responsibility for the four juvenile offender facilities operated by Sedgwick County. In January, 1998 he was named Director of the Sedgwick County Department of Corrections.
His responsibilities include facilitating and monitoring juvenile justice prevention funding and programs, operating juvenile intake and assessment, juvenile intensive probation and case management (out of home placements and reentry), juvenile detention facility and alternatives, boys ranch, aftercare facility, adult community corrections intensive probation and residential center, pretrial services, and administering drug court and a contracted day reporting center.
Mark also serves as the administrative contact with the Juvenile Justice Authority for the 18th Judicial District. He has been instrumental in juvenile detention and juvenile justice reforms and addressing disproportionate minority contact (DMC). Sedgwick County was selected in 2007 to participate as a partner site by the MacArthur Foundation in the Models for Change DMC Action Network and recognized in 2008 by OJJDP as a Model Program. Mark is the DMC Project Director and leads the DMC initiatives. In 2011 he was named the Champion for Change for the Models for Change DMC Action Network. He is a member of the American Correctional Association, American Counseling Association, and has been an officer and legislative liaison since 1998 with the Kansas Community Corrections Association. In 2010 he was selected and continues to serve as a member of the newly formed Juvenile Justice Leadership Network, sponsored by Georgetown University Public Policy Institute’s Center for Juvenile Justice Reform.
