GEO Reentry Services and the Monterey County Probation Department hosted an open house at the Monterey County Day Reporting Center in November to mark the center’s 10-year anniversary. Representatives from the offices of California State Sen. Anna Caballero and State Assembly member Robert Rivas visited the open house to present certificates to the center commemorating its 10 anniversary.
Chief Probation Officer Marcia Parsons, GEO Reentry leaders, and current and former program participants addressed attendees with brief remarks. An awards ceremony will be held for those who have been instrumental in the program’s success.
Opened in 2009, the DRC was created in partnership with Monterey County Probation to assist high-risk probationers with changing their behavior, and ultimately reducing the likelihood of them reoffending. The goals of the non-residential reentry center include preparing participants to become productive members of the community while reducing the county jail population and helping participants remain crime-free. Over the years, parolees have also been referred to the center in partnership with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Probationers and parolees referred to the center receive evidence-based cognitive-behavioral treatment proven to reduce recidivism, including life skills training, case management, workforce development and community connections. The center serves up to 100 adult participants at one time.
The program has proven effective at reducing participant risk of in anti-social behaviors. A study of 50 probationers and 20 parolees who attended the DRC from January 2017 through February 2019 had a 13% reduction in their risk scores, meaning they were less likely to commit a crime after completing the program.
Tasked with supervising more than 5,500 probationers daily, the Probation Department often refers treatment-resistant or chronic violators to the DRC to break the cycle of recidivism. Since the DRC opened, more than 1,200 probationers and more than 400 parolees have been enrolled in its programs by the courts, Monterey Probation Department or the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s Department of Adult Parole Operations.