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05/13/2002 - CEC's Facilities Recommended for Accreditation

Washington, May 13 -

CEC Facilities Recommended for Accreditation

Denver and Colorado Springs, CO (May 13, 2002)--A committee of American Correctional Association (ACA) auditors recommended Community Education Center's Tooley Hall and Community Alternatives of El Paso County (CAE) facilities for accreditation based on their compliance with ACA national standards. The auditors gave Tooley Hall and CAE a score of 100% on both mandatory and nonmandatory standards, which are established by ACA and serve as a benchmark for the effective operation of correctional facilities throughout the United States.

The standards address services, programs and operations essential to sound correctional management, including staff training and development, physical plant, safety and emergency procedures, sanitation, food service, rules and discipline and financial procedures.

During the two-day audit at each facility, committee members reviewed the standards based on written documentation, observations and interviews with staff and residents. "Tooley Hall has been working hard in preparing for the audit," according to Shannon Carst, Director of the facility.

"The accreditation process can take up to 18 months and requires daily upkeep of the physical plant, resident's files and administrative functions necessary to meet ACA standards," explained Tina Price, Accreditation Coordinator. "All of the staff at CAE have been very helpful during the accreditation process," added Jacquie Karch, Director at CAE.

The auditors will present their recommendation to a panel of ACA commissioners at a final hearing in August.

Tooley Hall, a satellite facility of Williams Street Center, commenced operation in July of 1987. Initially, Tooley Hall provided residential and rehabilitative services to homeless, mentally ill and/or drug addicted veterans. However in July of 1994, the program was modified to provide residential and outpatient work-release community corrections services for 60 adult female offenders.

Tooley Hall provides services to women who are near release and eligible for parole or to those who require structure beyond traditional probation. Case management focuses on problem assessment, individualized treatment planning, substance-abuse treatment, relapse prevention, GED preparation, employment assistance and life-skills training.

Located on over six acres in Colorado Springs, CAE opened in December of 1998 with 200 male and female residential beds. CAE provides residential and transitional community corrections services to participants who are near release or who are eligible for parole. The program is designed to facilitate each offender's transition from incarceration to independent, productive, community living.