West Caldwell, NJ, Mar 29 -

Representatives from Community Education Centers, Inc. (CEC) testified today before the Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee and said the Commonwealth can save significant dollars by employing the same shift to assessment, treatment and community programs that New Jersey adopted a decade ago. CEC Chairman and CEO, John J. Clancy emphasized the effectiveness of CEC’s reentry treatment model that combines assessment, treatment, and aftercare to provide a true continuum of services for offender populations.

“We know that 98% of the people we send to prison come home to live in our communities.  They will drive trucks on our streets and serve food to our families. To me, the key question is: “What are we doing to prepare these individuals before they get back into the community and at what cost?” said Mr. Clancy.

CEC maintains a large presence in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania including residential reentry centers in Philadelphia, Reading, New Brighton and Arnold, in-prison treatment programs for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections at nine state correctional institutions, and the 1883-bed George W. Hill Correctional Facility in Thornton. Throughout the Commonwealth, CEC employs nearly 1,000 individuals.

“The breadth of CEC’s operations in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania gives our company the unique opportunity to make a significant impact on the reduction of the Commonwealth’s prison population and the associated costs of incarceration.  It is my belief that all eligible offenders should have access to reentry treatment services before they return to the community,” said Mr. Clancy.

The CEC reentry treatment model has proven very effective and two university-based outcome research studies found a 30%-50% reduction in the rate of recidivism for offenders participating in a CEC New Jersey-based residential reentry treatment program. Recent studies have also confirmed that New Jersey is a national leader in using effective alternatives to incarceration to reduce its prison populations. The Sentencing Report found that New Jersey reduced its prison population 19% over the last ten years while most other states have seen significant increases.

“CEC is very proud to have played a large role in the decrease of the prison population in New Jersey, where over the past decade the focus has been on assessment services and the building of a strong community corrections system.  This decision has proven effective since the “back end” of the correctional system is where it costs less to add capacity and effective programming has been shown to be most productive,” said Mr. Clancy.

In his testimony, Mr. Clancy detailed the importance of the assessment process not only as a public safety measure to ensure an offender’s suitability for community placement, but also as a tool to develop an individualized reentry treatment plan.  Also testifying with Mr. Clancy were Dr. Ralph Fretz, Director of Assessment and Research, Steve Tomlin Eastern Regional Manager, and Rodney Brockenbrough, Director of Albert M. Bo Robinson Assessment and Treatment Center.

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 its daily care. CEC provides a full range of therapeutic residential and non-residential reentry services with a documented record of reducing recidivism. CEC contracts with local, county, state, and federal government agencies. CEC’s Secure Facilities Division provides jail/detention management services at 17 facilities in Pennsylvania, Texas, and Ohio.