CEC JACKSONVILLE, ILLINOIS, INMATES HELP HOLD THE FLOODWATERS

West Caldwell, NJ August 10 -

Summer rains poured over areas in Illinois causing flooding issues for a large portion of the Jacksonville area. Sandbagging emergency crews were established to help save small towns around Morgan, Greene, Scott, and Pike Counties. CEC in-prison treatment program participants at the Jacksonville Correctional Center in Morgan County volunteered to help create the bags as the Center brought in truckloads of sand for bagging. The inmates of the facility contributed approximately 100,000 sandbags over a 10 day period!

“We are proud to provide help to local communities in Illinois with this worthwhile effort,” said Bertee Thomas, Director of In-Prison Treatment Programs for CEC. “It is a win-win; the community benefits, our participants experience the positive results of healthy and productive citizenship and working as a team, which are fundamental concepts learned within the therapeutic community treatment method.”

The majority of the program participants volunteered their spare time to make sand bags to help send out to the local community that was in danger of flooding. The work required long days resulting in the creation of an abundance of sandbags that helped hold back flooding from local towns in the area.

“The CEC program participants worked long and hard in an effort to help surrounding communities be safe from flooding,” said Brittany Bradshaw, CEC Program Director at Jacksonville Correctional Center. “Their dedication to the project was commendable, and the crews enjoyed being of service for a good cause.”

The CEC program at Jacksonville Correctional Center provides in-prison treatment services for up to 200 males. Services include substance abuse treatment, assessments, treatment plans, individual and group counseling presented in a modified Therapeutic Community setting.

CEC is the leading national provider of rehabilitative services for offenders in reentry and in-prison treatment facilities, as well as providing comprehensive management of county, state, and federal jail and detention facilities. The company provides evidence-based programming for residential and non-residential clients and maintains a documented record of reducing recidivism. CEC services also include SECON, a division that conducts comprehensive drug testing and screening services worldwide.