News - 2009
Hoffman Hall Marks One Year of Successful Operations for the Philadelphia Prison System
West Caldwell, NJ, Jul 20 - In July, Hoffman Hall, Community Education Centers' 400-bed residential reentry center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, marked its first year of successful operations providing assessment and reentry treatment services for offenders referred from the Philadelphia Prison System. The initial results of the first graduating classes included:
- 318 offenders have successfully completed the Hoffman Hall reentry treatment program (average length of stay 115 days)
- 2,464 reentry focused lectures sessions have been completed
- 1,543 reentry focused group counseling sessions have been completed
"Over the last year Hoffman Hall has fulfilled Philadelphia's vision to provide a safe and secure facility that offers quality reentry services to all who pass through its doors with the ultimate goal of reducing recidivism. Hoffman Hall residents that do not reoffend substantially benefit the City of Philadelphia-public safety increases, the prison population is reduced, residents are now taxpaying citizens, and families reunite-all significantly lowering incarceration and social services costs for the City and State," said John J. Clancy, Chairman and CEO of CEC.
Hoffman Hall was constructed with no public funding and currently employees over sixty full-time staff. The facility provides an intensive treatment program that emphasizes relapse prevention for low to medium risk, sentenced offenders with drug and alcohol dependency issues referred from PPS. Recently, Hoffman Hall began accepting pre-trial defendants referred from PPS.
Hoffman Hall addresses the reentry needs of each individual offender and utilizes CEC's continuum of care model that is proven to reduce recidivism. The reentry treatment program consists of individual assessments, individual and group counseling, substance abuse treatment, educational services, skills-based trainings, and aftercare/alumni services.
"The first year of operations at Hoffman Hall was a great success and I look forward to continuing to provide our quality reentry treatment services that are proven to reduce recidivism," said Dr. Robert Mackey, Senior Vice President at CEC.
The assessment process at Hoffman Hall uses standardized and actuarially based instruments to gather information to determine an offender's current risk factors for public safety concerns and recidivism. The treatment component consists of carefully selected reentry services including individual and group counseling; cognitive-behavioral training; substance abuse treatment; educational services and life skills training. All of the components are consistent with current scientific and professional literature relevant to correctional populations. The components are delivered in a variety of contexts, including lecture format, classroom instruction, small group sessions, and individual counseling.
"I would like to thank all of our employees for their dedicated service providing effective reentry treatment services to Hoffman Hall residents. Their professionalism makes this facility operate at such a high level," said Bob Pollock, Director of Hoffman Hall.
CEC begins discharge planning when creating the initial treatment plan. Prior to leaving Hoffman Hall, each offender is provided with information to ensure that his/her basic needs will be met in the community. CEC has also established an Alumni Association that assists offenders in their transition.
In October 2008, CEC held a dedication ceremony for Hoffman Hall that was attended by Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, Maria D. Quinones Sanchez, Philadelphia Councilwoman and Louis Giorla, Commissioner of the Philadelphia Prison System, as well as over 200 guests to mark the beginning of this exciting reentry facility.
The dedication ceremony was punctuated by thoughtful recollections of Alan Hoffman, former CEC employee, who passed away in 2006. Keith Hooper, Supervisor of Operations at Talbot Hall and coworker of Mr. Hoffman's for many years, spoke to the many compassionate qualities that made Mr. Hoffman a true leader and pioneer of CEC's residential reentry treatment centers.
Community Education Centers, Inc. (CEC) is the largest provider of offender reentry and in-prison treatment services in America, operating in 20 states, with over 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.
BACK
| 
