News - 2006
Community Education Centers Comments on National Institute on Drug Abuse Report
Roseland, NJ, Jul 25, 2006 - A recent report released by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) found that effective offender drug treatment can provide substantial cost savings to communities and also reduce crime.
The report, Principles of Drug Abuse Treatment for Criminal Justice Populations, found that drug treatment lowers recidivism rates and is also cost-effective, estimating that for every dollar spent on addiction treatment programs there is a $4 to $7 reduction in the cost of drug-related crimes.
"As the leading provider of substance abuse treatment to correctional populations in America, I am pleased to see that the results of CEC's outcome-based studies closely parallel the findings of this important report - that drug treatment for offenders is cost-effective and reduces both crime and recidivism," said John Clancy, President and CEO of CEC.
Community Education Centers provides comprehensive substance abuse treatment services to over 6,000 clients across America each day. CEC's programs garnered national attention in 2004, when an outcome study published as the lead article in the July/August edition of Corrections Compendium - a peer reviewed journal of the American Correctional Association - found a 30% reduction in the rate of recidivism at one-year post-incarceration for inmates participating in CEC treatment programs.
The NIDA report presents 13 treatment principles based on a review of current scientific literature on substance abuse treatment and criminal behavior many of which parallel treatment philosophies incorporated by CEC.
"The similarities between the findings in this most recent NIDA report and CEC's treatment model are not by coincidence. CEC's effective programming is the result of carefully tailored programs that are able to address the individual needs of each offender through a comprehensive continuum of care," said Dr. Robert Mackey, Chief Operating Officer at CEC.
Additionally, the report asserts that gender-specific programs may be more effective for female offenders. This finding underscores a core CEC philosophy that gender-specific programming best equips female offenders with the skills they need to remain crime-free. In fact, the company recently opened a specialized 250-bed women's treatment unit at its Liberty Hall facility in Indianapolis, Indiana to provide comprehensive gender-specific programming to offenders referred by the Marion County Sheriff's Department. CEC is excited about this opportunity to reduce recidivism for these female offenders.
Community Education Centers is the leading provider of rehabilitative services to the criminal justice system in America. CEC's 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.
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