West Caldwell, NJ, Feb 8 -

Community Education Centers, Inc.’s (CEC) Tully House in Newark, New Jersey was recommended for American Correctional Association (ACA) Adult Community Residential Services (ACRS) reaccreditation after a two day audit with a perfect score. CEC operates seventeen community-based reentry programs with ACRS accreditation all of which have scored 100% on all mandatory and non-mandatory standards, a record that is unprecedented in the industry.

“Tully House has played a vital role in the New Jersey Department of Corrections (NJ DOC) system as a reentry treatment and work release center for over ten years now.  I want to thank all the staff for their hard work and dedication during this audit,” said Dr. Robert Mackey, Senior Vice President at CEC.

The 315-bed facility opened in 1998 as a Residential Community Release Program (RCRP) for the NJ DOC and provides intensive supervision and treatment services, coupled with work release, vocational, educational, and college education referral enrollment services. Tully House residents receive reentry treatment that addresses specific behavioral issues including domestic violence, anger management, relapse prevention, parenting skills and criminality groups.

In July of 2007 Tully House was recognized as an official GED Testing Site. The facility maintains a very active Family Service Program whose the primary purpose is to reunite residents with their families and to reestablish healthy family relationships.  The Alumni Association services at Tully House provide essential reintegration services to present and past residents.

The ACA accreditation program is a professional peer review process based on national standards that have evolved since the founding of the Association in 1870. The standards were developed by national leaders from the field of corrections, law, architecture, health care, and other groups who are interested in sound correctional management.

ACA standards address services, programs, and operations essential to effective correctional management. Through accreditation, an agency is able to maintain a balance between protecting the public and providing an environment that safeguards the life, health, and safety of staff and offenders. Standards set by ACA reflect practical up-to-date policies and procedures and function as a management tool for agencies and facilities throughout the world.

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.