West Caldwell, NJ, Nov 20 -

A survey of correctional research published in the Fall 2009 edition of the peer-reviewed journal, Corrections Compendium, highlighted a university-based research study that found Community Education Centers, Inc. (CEC) reentry programs reduce recidivism. The article, “Empirically Supported Reentry: Review and Prospects,” surveyed empirically-based research that focused on the effectiveness and methods of reentry programs.

“I am very proud a university-based research study that found a significant reduction in recidivism for female offenders in a CEC assessment and reentry treatment program was included as a key finding in this article. Not only is it testament to the great work our staff does everyday preparing offenders for community reentry, but also confirms the necessity for expanded offender reentry programming,” said Dr. Robert Mackey, Senior Vice President at CEC.

The CEC research cited in the article, “Criminal Recidivism of Female Offenders: The Importance of Structured, Community-Based Aftercare,” showed a 50% reduction in recidivism for female offenders participating in the Bo Robinson female offender reentry program compared to a similar group of female offenders from the New Jersey Department of Corrections (NJDOC). Bo Robinson, is CEC’s 800-bed residential reentry assessment and treatment center in Trenton, New Jersey.

The article described how assessment centers, like Bo Robinson, are well positioned in a corrections system to effectively transition offenders from prison to community placement. Additionally, the article states, “They [assessment centers] are well placed to conduct relevant research risk, needs and intervention, perhaps in partnership with academic researchers.

“CEC has known the importance of assessment centers since their inception in New Jersey in 1998. The assessment process gives us the ability to determine the course of reentry treatment and indentify risk of recidivism for each offender,” added Dr. Mackey.

Community Education Centers, Inc. (CEC) is the largest provider of offender reentry and in-prison treatment services in America, operating in 19 states and the Commonwealth of Bermuda, with nearly 30,000 individuals in our daily care. CEC provides a full range of therapeutic residential and non-residential reentry services with a documented record of reducing recidivism. The company specializes in the reentry process and has developed the most effective reentry treatment model in the nation. CEC contracts with local, county, state, and federal government agencies, as well as non-profit agencies. Also a strategic focus of the company, CEC’s Secure Facilities Division provides jail/detention management services at 17 facilities in Pennsylvania, Texas, and Ohio.