The Lycoming County Reentry Service Center, operated by GEO Reentry Services, was recently profiled in the Williamsport Sun-Gazette in a feature examining the center’s first year of being open.
The Lycoming County RSC opened for its first participants in September 2014 after GEO Reentry was chosen by Lycoming County to open and operate a reentry program for non-violent adult probationers and parolees. The center offers treatment and case management services for program participants referred from county probation, parole, treatment court, domestic relations and pretrial.
With the goal of reducing recidivism and preparing participants for a successful reentry into their communities, participants undergo a multi-phase program that includes evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapy, life skills courses, employment readiness training and anger management.
As noted by the Sun-Gazette, the center is currently serving 83 participants, surpassing the original goal of 50. The center served 187 participants in its first six months and saw its first class of graduates in May.
Adult probation supervisor John Stahl also told the paper that by the end of March, 46 of 89 participants—more than half—had found employment. For participants, finding employment is a huge step in creating a stable and positive daily routine.
“We do the best we can to … change their belief in themselves so they don’t have to fall back on what they used to do,” President Judge Nancy J. Butts told the paper.
As the article states, the center is more cost-efficient than housing inmates at the Lycoming County Prison, with a daily cost that’s less than half the daily rate for incarceration.
Read the full article (subscription required) here.
GEO Reentry also operates centers in several other Pennsylvania locations including Allentown, Chambersburg, Ebensburg, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Wilkes-Barre and York. To read more about our full day reporting centers, click here.