When officials from Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, and GEO Reentry Services gather this year for the annual summer graduation – also known as a transition celebration – a group of more than 100 participants have earned the honor to participate and mark successful completion of this intensive reentry program in front of friends, family and the community at large. The event will be held in a public square – the Luzerne County Courthouse Rotunda – and graduates will be greeted by the Honorable Judge Joseph Sklarosky of the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas to make it clear that they are being accepted as contributing members of the community after their hard work in the program.
This graduation also follows on the heels of a 2021 outcomes report that found the program is achieving positive results on many fronts, including:
- During the year, from the time individuals entered the program to the time they successfully exited the program, their risk levels had been reduced from 86% to 44% (as measured by LSI-R Risk Reduction Assessment Scores).
- 80 probationers successfully completed the program last year – 727 have completed the program since it was formed in 2010.
- Attendance at the program is an indicator of a participant’s commitment to behavior change, and 88% of participants successfully checked in as scheduled.
- The program also emphasizes job skills development and links to employment opportunities. In 2021, 80% of participants exited the program with jobs; only 38% began the program employed.
- Most importantly, criminal thinking was changed after participating in the program, with the greatest change found in moderate- to high-risk participants (assessed by Texas Christian University’s Criminal Thinking Scales).
Review this and other Outcomes Reports here.
The Luzerne County Reentry Service Center delivers innovative programming options that include a variety of technology-based options, along with in-person intensive treatment and training, ongoing drug and alcohol testing, all to help prepare participants for successful community reentry.
Located at 125 N. Wilkes Barre Boulevard, the Luzerne County Reentry Service Center opened in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania in 2010 to help alleviate prison overcrowding at Luzerne County Correctional Facility and tackle chronic recidivism in the county.
The non-residential reentry center provides evidence-based treatment, training and supervision to individuals referred by Luzerne County or the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, including cognitive behavioral therapy and substance abuse treatment, empowering them to take charge of their lives and become productive members of society.