GEO Reentry Services opened two Day Reporting Centers in Monroe and Thibodaux, Louisiana on Dec. 3 as part of The Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections’ ongoing efforts to lessen prison and jail crowding while breaking the cycle of recidivism
The centers each accommodate up to 50 participants for the 90-day, evidence-based treatment program. Compared to traditional reentry programs, GEO Reentry Services takes an intensive approach to reducing recidivism. Programs are designed to improve behaviors by altering participants’ attitudes through targeted programs like cognitive behavioral therapy, anger management, employment readiness and life skills and parenting classes.
“Day reporting centers like this one are critical to high-risk offenders who are trying to live functionally,” Department of Corrections Assistant Secretary Rhett Covington said in an interview with HoumaToday. “This facility offers us a unique and historic opportunity to actually be able to intervene with someone in the community to help them deal with the stressors as they come up in daily life and get them back on track to prevent them from going back to prison.”
Treatment is offered in three phases to help individuals transition into their communities as productive members of society. Participants are held accountable with regular check-ins, drug and alcohol testing and individualized case management to ensure their needs are met.
In addition to taking a proactive approach to recidivism, GEO Reentry day reporting centers – also known as non-residential reentry centers – offer an alternative to reincarceration. Nearly half of the 9,000 probation and parole revocations in Louisiana are due to technical violations. As an alternative to incarceration and revocations, judges and parole and probation agents can assign offenders to day reporting centers, reducing cost and allowing for the use of graduated sanctions to support compliance to conditions of release.
With the right approach to treatment, the new day reporting centers improve boost safety and improve participants’ lives after incarceration. “It makes them become more productive citizens and prevents them from creating new victims,” Covington said.
GEO Reentry Services opened its first Day Reporting Center in Louisiana in 2009 and also operates centers in Covington, Baton Rouge and Shreveport, Louisiana. The Thibodaux Day Reporting Center at 1000 Plantation Road, Thibodaux, LA, and Monroe Day Reporting Center at 3424 Medical Park Drive, Monroe, LA, are open Monday through Friday.
Learn more about GEO Reentry’s evidence-based approach to reentry programming and keep up with GEO Reentry on our blog.