CCA on Pre-Release and Reentry Services
A timely statement on a timeless need
Reentry was the central theme of the American Correctional Association’s 139th Congress of Correction, held this August in Nashville, Tenn., where CCA is headquartered.
Workshops on topics like the Second Chance Act, community reentry, prison adjustment and evidence-based programs corresponded with the event’s overarching focus – that “Effective reentry is good public safety.”
While reentry and pre-release have long been viewed as integral phases in helping ex-offenders readjust to their communities, such a focus is especially timely in today’s climate. CCA has produced a white paper on pre-release and reentry services that explores relevant trends and policy developments, examines the effectiveness of such programs and details the company’s current offerings that aim to rehabilitate offenders.
“CCA is aware of this movement,” says Tony Grande, CCA chief development officer. “Policymakers and corrections experts increasingly agree that reentry should begin at the point of entry into the corrections system.”
Recent headlines suggest that states are more openly considering correctional alternatives that may save dollars during these sensitive budgetary times. Elected officials and community leaders face a constituency more educated about and interested in curbing recidivism rates. As potential neighbors, coworkers, employers and family members of ex-offenders, they are increasingly invested in the availability, quality and spectrum of services for the many who will one day return home from correctional facilities.
“As a company, we want to be engaged in this national discussion,” Grande says. “We welcome the opportunity to be involved in crafting related solutions that flexibly meet our current and prospective partners’ needs.”
Effective reentry and pre-release planning often requires examining available resources, community partnerships and operational logistics, among other considerations.
“There is no one-size-fits-all answer, but we try to adapt to customer needs and integrate them into what we are already offering,” says Brad Regens, CCA vice president, State Customer Relations. “It might seem counterintuitive that we support programs that curb recidivism, but that is how we define success. We want to return offenders to the community as productive, contributing members of society.”
To view CCA’s white paper on reentry and pre-release services, visit www.InsideCCA.com and register as a subscriber or go to the CCA Research Institute online at www.ccaresearchinstitute.com.
CCA Source, Fall 2009