Alabama Secretary of State John H. Merrill was the keynote speaker at the Alabama Therapeutic Education Facility graduation ceremony in November. A class of 15 graduated this fall. Graduations are the culmination of a therapeutic treatment regimen designed to adjust criminal behavior and eventually reduce recidivism. Watch video.
Secretary Merrill was inspired by the unique programming the GEO Reentry Services facility offers. ATEF also maintains a partnership with the Department of Postsecondary Education.
“It was great to be back in Shelby County this morning and be the keynote speaker at the graduation ceremony for the inmates that participated in the Alabama Therapeutic Education Facility,” Merrill wrote on his Facebook page. “We need more programs like this in the Department of Corrections!”
ATEF is a residential reentry facility in Columbiana that provides reentry programming for males and females referred from the Alabama Department of Corrections. The graduation acknowledges 15 men who completed a six-month reentry program comprised of varied services designed to assist a resident with a successful reentry to the community.
Programming at ATEF is an intensive treatment focused on relapse prevention and work release preparation through Cognitive Behavioral Treatment and vocational training.
“We are very grateful to host Secretary Merrill for our November graduation,” said George Edwards, Director of ATEF. “November is the month of gratitude, which has the power to shift us from focusing on the negative and learning how to appreciate the positive in our lives. Secretary Merrill helped all in attendance experience the positive.”
All graduates received a certificate stating they have completed a program of reentry services, in addition to educational and vocational training. Individuals must complete training in carpentry, plumbing, HVAC or welding to be considered for graduation. All participants completed an OSHA training and some graduates also obtained a forklift certification.
