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News - 2009
Delaney Hall Recommended for American Correctional Association Reaccreditation
West Caldwell, NJ, Aug 21 - Delaney Hall, Community Education Centers, Inc.'s (CEC), 1200-bed residential reentry center in Newark, New Jersey was recommended for American Correctional Association (ACA) reaccreditation on August 20 after a two day audit with a perfect score-100% on mandatory and non-mandatory Adult Community Residential Services (ACRS) standards. CEC now operates eighteen facilities that are ACA accredited-sixteen of which have received scores of 100% on all mandatory and non-mandatory standards, a record that is unprecedented in the industry. Delaney Hall will receive its official reaccreditation in January 2010 at the association's winter conference in Tampa, Florida.
"ACA standards are the measure of facility's operations, security, and staff. Having Delaney Hall receive a perfect score during this most recent audit signifies that the facility is not only safe and secure but also operationally effective," said Dr. Robert Mackey, Senior Vice President at CEC adding, "I would like to thank all the staff that worked to achieve this goal."
Delaney Hall opened in May 2000 and its population consists of Essex and Union County, New Jersey offenders and New Jersey State Parole Board (NJSPB) technical violators. The reentry treatment program provides a true continuum of care to successfully integrate former inmates back into their home communities. Delaney Hall provides substance abuse treatment, alumni services, life skills training, conflict resolution and anger management treatment, individual, group, and family counseling, educational remediation, changes in criminal thinking, aftercare counseling, and risk and psychological assessments. Delaney Hall also provides gender-specific treatment services through its women's program. This program addresses the unique needs of female offenders, including parenting issues and domestic abuse, as well as reasons for substance abuse.
"I commend the staff at Delaney Hall for their efforts during this audit. Their dedication mirrors the quality operations of the facility," said Tina Price, Accreditation Manager at CEC.
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.
Delaney Hall's Residential Assessment Center (RAC) program for the New Jersey State Board Parole has received national attention of late and was recognized by a Council of State Governments (CSG) Innovations Award. Additionally, reports have found that the RACs are estimated to help New Jersey avoid $14 million in incarceration costs in the coming budget year. The RAC program holds technical parole violators to a 15- to 30-day lockdown period, while subjecting them to a clinical risk-needs assessment. The assessment helps the New Jersey State Parole Board make better-informed decisions as to whether the technical violator should continue on parole with intensified supervision and programming, or whether the individual should return to prison.
In February, Delaney Hall was commended after an audit by The New Jersey Department of Corrections (NJ DOC) Office of County Services. The three day audit consisted of a policy and documentation review, physical plant inspection and verification of processes. Auditors commended Delaney Hall on the cleanliness of the facility and the quality of records.
Community Education Centers, Inc. (CEC) is the largest provider of offender reentry and in-prison treatment services in America, operating in 19 states, 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. At a CEC-managed correctional facility, incarceration and rehabilitation are closely linked objectives.
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