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News - 2009
ATEF Celebrates First Year of Successful Operations
West Caldwell, NJ, Mar 26 - A luncheon was held today at the Alabama Therapeutic Education Facility, CEC's 400-bed residential reentry center in Columbiana, to celebrate the facility's first year of successful operations. Since ATEF opened in stages last March 2008, 398 male and female residents have graduated the treatment program.
"As ATEF celebrates its first year of service working for the Alabama Department of Corrections, its mission remains to reduce recidivism for Alabama offenders. ATEF graduates that do not reoffend substantially benefit the State of Alabama-public safety increases, the prison population is reduced, inmates are now tax paying citizens, and families reunite-all significantly lowering incarceration and social services costs for the State," said John J. Clancy, Chairman and CEO of CEC.
The initial results of the first graduating classes were very promising:
- 1,139 individual counseling sessions, 1,092 small groups, and 1,022 lectures
- 398 offenders have graduated from the ATEF treatment and vocational program
- According to a DOC review, not one graduate has been found to have committed a new offense through March 3rd.
"We are very proud to present these preliminary results as they reflect CEC's own research that comprehensive treatment and educational programs reduce crime by lowering recidivism rates. Of course, the nature of any corrections population and behavioral modification program means that relapse is inevitable and some graduates may re-offend.," said Dr. Robert Mackey, Senior Vice President for Clinical Services, Quality Assurance and Research.
The luncheon included special recognition of employees who have worked at ATEF since it opened in March 2008. In addition, residents and staff shared stories of ATEF's many success during its first year of operations.
"I would like to thank all of our employees for their dedicated service providing effective reentry treatment services to ATEF residents. Their professionalism makes this facility operate at such a high level," said Ike Hadley, Director of ATEF.
ATEF is a unique correctional treatment facility as it combines reentry treatment with "hands on" vocational training services. The reentry treatment component of ATEF provided by CEC consist of individual assessments, individual and group counseling, substance abuse treatment, educational services, vocational training, skills-based trainings, family services, and aftercare/alumni services. The Alabama Department of Postsecondary Education provides skills-based vocational training designed to increase their employability upon release.
Community Education Centers, Inc. (CEC) is the largest provider of offender reentry and in-prison treatment services in America, operating in over 20 states, with 30,000 individuals in our daily care. CEC provides a full range of therapeutic residential and non-residential reentry services with a document record of reducing recidivism.
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