Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles Director Cam Ward recently met with Congressional leaders on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., to discuss the significance of the Second Chance Act and share Alabama’s reentry success stories. As part of a delegation of criminal justice executives and policy experts, Director Ward participated in a panel and presented findings on the impact of the PREP Center (Pardon and Parole Reentry Education Program), a unique reentry program that involves cognitive behavior treatment programs and technical education to prepare former inmates for the workforce (PREP Center Video). Director Ward met with members of the Alabama Congressional delegation and stakeholders from the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The ABBP repurposed a former 700-bed prison in Uniontown, Ala., to deliver treatment and training for individuals formerly incarcerated so they have the skills, tools and resources to be workforce prepared. In 2022, with strong funding support from state legislators the department reopened the facility to provide individuals with a 90-day in-custody program that allows them to access evidence-based criminal thinking through group and individual interventions, substance use treatment, and mental health counseling.
Primary program providers include GEO Reentry Services, J.F. Ingram State Technical College and Alabama Power. GEO Reentry delivers cognitive behavioral treatment programs at the PREP Center.
Read more about Director Ward’s visit to Capitol Hill at the Alabama Political Reporter.
Photo courtesy of Alabama Political Reporter