The GEO Group, which provides diversified correctional and community reentry services, has named the Alabama Therapeutic Education Facility (ATEF), which delivers innovative cognitive behavioral treatment and vocational training for individuals returning from incarceration to community life, its 2024 Reentry Facility-of-the-Year. An event to celebrate this award was hosted by GEO Reentry Services, which operates the facility for the Alabama Department of Corrections, on February 29 at the facility.
Baron Warren, international speaker and best-selling author of “5 Steps to Manhood,” was the keynote speaker. After eight years in the U.S. Navy, Warren served as a correctional officer for the Michigan Department of Corrections before becoming a life coach, speaker, and author on living a life of integrity. State, county, and local officials, community service providers, and faith-based leaders attended the celebration.
Opened in 2008, ATEF is the first and largest residential reentry center in the region and it combines cognitive behavioral treatment and vocational training to achieve successful outcomes. ATEF has a capacity for 600 male and 120 female participants, who are referred to the facility for a six-month program of drug rehabilitation, education, and an opportunity to earn a vocational degree.
At ATEF, GEO Reentry Services delivers treatment services that focus on preventing relapse and preparing participants to transfer into a work release program. The evidence-based programming addresses the underlying reasons for antisocial behaviors as well as criminal thinking and behavior. Participants learn individual accountability, responsibility, and positive self-development to prepare for independent community living.
The vocational training is delivered at ATEF by the state’s J.F. Ingram State Technical College, which administers hands-on vocational training in carpentry, plumbing, welding, HVAC, forklift driving, OSHA Safety Training/Certification, cosmetology, and barbering.
