Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley today released the following statement on the appointment of First Assistant District Attorney Josh Wall as interim director of the Massachusetts Parole Board:

“If it was the Governor’s intention to appoint someone to oversee Parole with a profound commitment to justice, the deepest empathy for victims, a proven record as a reformer, and unassailable credentials protecting the public safety, he could not have made a finer pick than Josh Wall.

“Josh has been with me from my first day as District Attorney and he has been one of the most critical
players in all that we have accomplished here in Suffolk County. His integrity, leadership, and judgment are second to none. Losing Josh as First Assistant is incredibly difficult but at this point in time, the people of Massachusetts are in need of strong and credible new leadership at Parole. Josh is the consummate public servant and, unsurprisingly, felt he could not ignore this latest, important call to service.

First Assistant District Attorney Josh Wall was appointed by Governor Deval Patrick as interim director of the Massachusetts Parole Board.

“I am grateful to Josh for all he’s done on my behalf, on behalf of this office, in the pursuit of justice, and for the victims we serve. I will miss him as a colleague and as a friend.”

Wall, 51, came to the Suffolk DA’s office in 1993 and served as chief of the Child Protection Unit, Major Felony Unit, and Senior Trial Unit. When Conley took office in 2002, he promoted Wall to the position of First Assistant and supervisor of all Superior Court prosecutions.

Wall was a winner of the 2009 William C. O’Malley Prosecutor of the Year Award, a statewide honor recognizing him for his outstanding work as a trial lawyer, office leader, and mentor to younger prosecutors throughout his career. In 2004, he represented the Suffolk DA’s office on a blue-ribbon panel tasked with addressing, correcting, and preventing wrongful convictions in Suffolk County; that panel brought about sweeping reforms that one prominent defense attorney said puts Suffolk County “at the nation’s forefront” in preventing miscarriages of justice.

Prior to his career as a Suffolk prosecutor, Wall served with the Rhode Island Attorney General’s office from 1987 through 1991 and worked in private practice in both Boston and New York City.

He is a 1982 graduate of Harvard University and a 1986 graduate of Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California Berkeley.