GEO Reentry Services and BI Incorporated have partnered with Fresno County officials in California since 2011 to operate a successful day reporting center program for offenders. The center focuses on offenders who are at a moderate or high risk of committing new crimes upon being released to the community. Since its creation in mid-2011, the day reporting center has graduated nearly 300 offenders, and almost 60 are in the program today.
Center officials recently recognized 12 probationers who graduated from the program, and the local newspaper, the Fresno Bee, was there to capture the occasion. One of the 12 graduates was Ruben Polin, a repeat offender who had been involved in gangs and drug-related violence. But Polin has turned his life around, thanks in large part to Fresno’s day reporting program.
Polin saw his referral to the program in April as an opportunity to make a positive change and get his life on track. He has made some significant changes – he’s going to school to obtain his GED and hopes to then train to become a mechanic.
Like his fellow program participants, Polin reported to the center frequently and was subject to random drug testing. He went through training in life skills, anger management, substance abuse, parenting, and cognitive skill building designed to change criminal thinking.
BI Area Manager Steve Farugie praised program graduates, saying treatment programs are sometimes viewed as being soft on crime. “But I think it’s more being tough on crime,” Farugie said. “These individuals have put in the hard work to change their behavior.”
Polin’s story is an inspiring one, and is mirrored by many other successful day reporting center graduates in Fresno and across the country. For more information on day reporting programs, visit GEO Reentry’s website.