GEO Reentry Services partnered with the Ventura County Probation Agency to open the brand new Ventura County Adult Reporting and Resource Center in Ventura, California, on Aug. 1. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was an opportunity for community stakeholders to familiarize themselves with the new facility and meet the staffers who will help offenders find the right path to a new life. The event was also covered in a great feature story by the local paper, The Acorn.
As reported in the article, the event was attended by Ventura County executive Mike Powers, who told the paper that the center would bring together a range of services that had previously been scattered across the county. The 5,500-square foot facility will be able to work with up to 75 offenders referred by the Ventura County Probation Agency.
The new center will replace a previous work furlough program run by the county that is to be closed in September.
Program participants will spend between 180 days to a year working with the new center’s multi-phase, evidence-based program that includes behavioral change therapy, group and individual counseling sessions, job preparation classes and other life skills training. During this time, they will be subject to reporting requirements and multiple drug tests — penalties for failing to meet program requirements include stronger restrictions, additional testing and, if necessary, re-incarceration.
Acorn reporter Hector Gonzalez spoke with multiple GEO officials who stressed the importance of a comprehensive approach to offender re-entry. As noted in the article, a comprehensive approach includes encouraging pro-social behavior and showing participants that they can have fun and make new friends without involving alcohol and drugs.
GEO Reentry centers, which are located in many California counties and across the country, work to successfully reintegrate individuals under community supervision into society and achieve recidivism rates that are below the local averages. For more information on GEO Reentry’s approach to reentry programming, click here.