A Snack & Chat event will be held at the Montgomery Day Reporting Center (DRC) on Thursday, April 22. The event begins at 10:30 A.M. This event is open to all media, stakeholders and other interested parties.
Director Cam Ward will be conducting a media conference announcing a new collaboration between the Alabama Community College System, the Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles and the Alabama Department of Corrections.
Ward said, “I believe the long-term vision for the Bureau should be how we provide rehabilitative services, mental health counseling and job training skills to help people get on their feet and reduce recidivism. We should mitigate the chance someone will re-offend once they are on parole by helping them address things like addiction or mental health issues and giving them the education skills they need to get a job.”
“We are committed to driving a transformation that fosters hope by increasing collaboration between our agencies. A transformation that establishes a clear pathway to reentering free society and ensures the inmates understand how it works,” said ADOC Commissioner Jefferson Dunn.
There will also be a short presentation about the programming and operations of DRCs and plans for continuing to improve reentry and rehabilitation efforts throughout Alabama communities.
The Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles is also excited to reopen LIFE Tech Transition Center in Thomasville, Ala. and partner with Ingram State Technical College for education services.
“We are excited for the opportunity to provide stakeholders an insight into the transformative work the Bureau is doing with its enhanced rehabilitative programs,” said Director of Field Operations Darrell Morgan. “Day Reporting Centers are the cornerstone of our efforts. We hope events such as this one will help others buy into the vision of opening more DRCs across the state.”
In addition, the Equal Justice Initiative has provided free tickets to the nearby National Memorial for Peace and Justice for attendees to the event. The memorial is located within walking distance from the Montgomery DRC. The National Memorial for Peace and Justice is the nation’s first memorial dedicated to the legacy of enslaved Black people. The Bureau thanks the Equal Justice Initiative for its hospitality. To learn more about the memorial, visit https://museumandmemorial.eji.org/.
“We are not just assisting in reducing recidivism, we are making a human investment for the citizens of Alabama,” said Director of Special Populations Rebecca Bensema.
The Montgomery Day Reporting Center is located at 231 Clayton Street. Officers will assist with parking.
Snacks will be provided at the event. Social distancing procedures will be observed, and, as required by the City of Montgomery, masks will be required. Please do not attend if you have been exposed to COVID-19 or are feeling ill.
The Bureau thanks our many program providers, including Alabama Community College System, Alabama Department of Corrections, Alabama Cooperative Extension System, Alabama Department of Mental Health, Altapointe, Renaissance Halfway House, Ross Mentoring Group and others.
Day Reporting Centers provide counseling, educational training and supervision for probationers and parolees. With a focus on employment assistance, substance abuse treatment, mental health, and cognitive restructuring needs, DRC staff is committed to reducing recidivism rates and improving public safety through behavior change. Currently, full Day Reporting Centers are located in Birmingham, Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery, and Tuscaloosa. Day Reporting Center Lites, condensed versions of our DRCs incorporated into field offices and offering similar treatment, are located in Bay Minette, Fort Payne, Guntersville, Opelika and Jasper.