Roseland, NJ, May 17 - Americans Strongly Support Reentry Services for Prisoners

A recent poll conducted by Zogby International found that U.S. voters overwhelmingly favor rehabilitative and reentry services for prisoners by an 8 to 1 margin.

“As the nations leading provider of reentry services in America, I am pleased to see that Community Education Centers has been consistently ahead of the curve with its evidence-based rehabilitative services. This poll reflects what our company has known for the last 30 years—U.S. voters value cost-effective solutions to incarceration,” said John Clancy, President and CEO of CEC.

The poll also found that over ninety percent of U.S. voters feel that reentry services such as drug treatment, job training, mental health treatment, family support, and mentoring—all services that CEC currently provides—are important for an offender’s successful reentry. As the largest provider of reentry services across America, CEC has seen firsthand the impact of treatment on recidivism. An outcome research study published in 2004, demonstrated that participation in one of CEC’s New Jersey programs resulted in a 30 percent reduction in the rate of recidivism at one year post-incarceration.

“The U.S. public understands that simply locking up offenders and throwing away the key will not equip them with the necessary skills to become successful citizens. As the burden of prison costs fall harshly on the taxpayers, CEC is proud of its cost-effective reentry programs that have been proven to reduce recidivism,” said William Palatucci, Senior Vice President and General Counsel.

The poll was commissioned by the National Council on Crime and Delinquency and was published in April of 2006. The poll can be viewed at: http://www.nccd-crc.org/nccd/
pubs/2006april_focus_zogby.pdf

Community Education Centers is the largest provider of rehabilitative services to the criminal justice system in America. CEC’ facilities provide a full range of therapeutic residential and non-residential correctional services with an empirically documented record of reducing recidivism. The company operates 17 residential facilities and five day reporting/outpatient programs in seven states, treating over 6,000 clients daily.