EBENSBURG, Pa. – Ten years of “meeting people where they’re at” – that’s what officials of the Cambria County Day Reporting Center (DRC) says the center does to help offenders reintegrate into their families and society.
The center, which is operated by Cambria County Probation Services and GEO Reentry Services, is for low-risk offenders who are getting out of jail and are at high risk of reoffending.
“It’s to help relieve the costs of incarceration to the county, so it’s a win-win,” program director Julie Boring said.
Toni White, director of the center, said this is done through classes for what is called continuity unity behavioral change.
“Change your mind on how you feel about crime, setting goals, counseling, and they do one-on-one sessions to be able to talk out what their issues are,” she said.
The center marked the anniversary Wednesday with an open house for officials.
John Hogan, area manager for GEO Reentry Services, said that the center has "served over 1,700 citizens in Cambria County and with that we’ve been able to effect a bigger change for them and help them become productive members of the community and become productive members of their families, helping make the community a safer place,” he said.
Cambria County District Attorney Gregory Neugebauer said that programs like the center benefit the county in multiple ways.
“Having programs like the DRC provides an immense benefit to the community not only in terms of long term savings from a money perspective but also provides an opportunity for people that have gotten into trouble – not severe legal trouble – to be able to become productive members of the community, which obviously makes the community a better place and saves taxpayer money in the long run,” he said.
