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News - 2008
Talbot Hall Holds Ceremony to Celebrate Ten Year Anniversary
West Caldwell, NJ, Apr 20, 2008 - On a perfect April 18th afternoon, state, county and local government officials joined John J. Clancy, Chairman and CEO of Community Education Centers, Inc. (CEC) to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Talbot Hall, CEC's 500-bed assessment and treatment center located in Kearny, New Jersey. Since opening in 1998, more than 21,000 offenders have passed through Talbot Hall's classrooms, lecture halls, and assessment offices.
"We are proud of the work accomplished over the last decade at Talbot Hall in helping thousands of people improve their lives, and we're pleased to have played a major role in the State of New Jersey being one only a few states to see a significant decrease in its prison population over the last ten years," said John J. Clancy, Chairman and CEO of CEC. "Facilities such as Talbot Hall play a vital role in helping offenders reenter society and stay out of the corrections system."
Over 200 individuals including senior officials from the New Jersey Department of Corrections and the New Jersey State Parole Board gathered under a tent in the recreation yard to enjoy a luncheon and then a ceremony in the Talbot Hall lecture hall. Keynote speakers included Richard J. Codey, Former Governor and State Senate President, Christopher J. Christie, United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey, Lydell Sherrer, Assistant Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Corrections, Joseph M. Shields, Executive Director, New Jersey State Parole Board, and Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr., Essex County Executive, Essex County.
"We congratulate the administration and staff at Talbot Hall for their invaluable contributions to law enforcement, offender rehabilitation, and public safety for the last decade," said George Hayman, New Jersey Department of Corrections Commissioner. "In very real ways, their efforts have helped to make a Garden State a better place to live, work, and raise a family."
During the ceremony, guests were treated to musical entertainment by a choir composed of alumni and current residents of Talbot Hall and Tully House, said Sheila Leonardo, Director of Talbot. Leonardo also noted that the formal program included a memorial tribute to Alan Hoffman, former director of Talbot Hall.
"We have over the last decade nearly 4,000 less inmates incarcerated in the state of New Jersey, which is tremendous in itself. And that is despite in other states, the numbers are going up and New Jersey is going down. Many will offer theories for the reason for decline, however I personally believe that the outstanding staff of Talbot Hall Assessment and Treatment center can take pride in their major contribution to this decrease," observed Assistant Commissioner Sherrer at the ceremony.
The day became especially poignant as guests heard testimonials from alumni and a special ceremony was held to honor current and former Talbot Hall employees who had both been with the company for ten years and contributed significantly to the successes of the facility.
"Statistics show that building more prisons is not the answer to solving the problem of recidivism," Clancy continued. "We celebrate Talbot Hall today as one small example of how we can successfully work together to solve a large and growing problem in the United States," Clancy said.
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