Community Education Centers, Inc. (abbreviated CEC) was a private corrections company based in
West Caldwell, New Jersey
West Caldwell is a township located in the West Essex area in northwestern Essex County, New Jersey, United States. It is located approximately west of Manhattan and northwest of Newark. As of the 2010 United States census, the township's po ...
that operated residential reentry facilities, jails, and in-prison drug treatment programs in seventeen American states and
Bermuda
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In June 2007, CEC acquired the jail management company, CiviGenics.
In 2011, the state of
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
and its county governments spent $71 million of the $105 million budget allocated for halfway houses on contracts awarded to Community Education Centers.
The firm operated fourteen jails, mostly in Texas. Its largest “secure facility” was the George W. Hill Correctional Facility in
Thornbury Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Thornbury Township is a township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 8,028 at the 2010 census, up from 7,093 at the 2000 census. It is adjacent to, and was once joined with, Thornbury Township, Chester County, P ...
with a capacity of 1,883. It also had contracts for twenty six “residential reentry” facilities, more commonly called halfway homes. The largest of these was Delaney Hall in
Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area. It also offered a number of residential treatment programs funded by Native American tribes in six states.
In addition to contracts with cities, counties, and states, CEC also had contracts with the
Federal Bureau of Prisons
The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Justice that is responsible for the care, custody, and control of incarcerated individuals who have committed federal crimes; that i ...
to provide reentry services across four states.
In August 2012, officials from Mercer County, New Jersey found that 73% of randomly sampled inmates from the CEC-operated Albert M. “Bo” Robinson Assessment and Treatment Center tested positive for drugs. CEC did not fulfill its government contracts to provide therapy and job training to inmates. Critics argued that CEC continued to receive government contracts because its senior vice president was
Bill Palatucci
William J. Palatucci (born 1958) is an American attorney and Republican National Committeeman. Palatucci was the White House Transition Coordinator and General Counsel for the 2016 presidential transition of Donald Trump until terminated on Nove ...
Chris Christie
Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, lobbyist, and former federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018.
Christie, who was born in N ...
.
Typical contracts involved CEC providing housing for $70/day per inmate, achieving roughly half the operating costs of government facilities by cutting corners on contract requirements. Minimal supervision allowed inmates to retain their connections to criminal organizations, such as Delaney Hall becoming controlled by the
Bloods
The Bloods are a primarily African-American street gang founded in Los Angeles, California. The gang is widely known for its rivalry with the Crips. It is identified by the red color worn by its members and by particular gang symbols, includ ...
gang and its drug trade.
In April 2017,
GEO Group
The GEO Group, Inc. (GEO) is a publicly traded C corporation that invests in private prisons and mental health facilities in North America, Australia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. Headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, the company's ...
, one of the world's largest for-profit prison corporations, acquired Community Education Centers.
Misconduct
In December 2008, CEC Correctional Officer Odessan Andrew Allen Zehr was charged with accepting bribes to smuggle contraband into the company's Ector County Correctional Center.
In May 2009, CEC Correctional Officer Amber Hinds was indicted on charges of attempting to smuggle drugs into the
Texarkana, Texas
Texarkana is a city in Bowie County, Texas, United States, in the Ark-La-Tex region. Located approximately from Dallas, Texarkana is a twin city with neighboring Texarkana, Arkansas. The Texas city's population was 36,193 at the 2020 census.
...
facility.
In September 2009,
McLennan County, Texas
McLennan County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in Central Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 260,579 . Its county seat and largest city is Waco. The U.S. census 2021 county population estimate is 263,115. The county is ...
Sheriff Larry Lynch said he would no longer accept payments from CEC to avoid a conflict-of-interest in his decisions of which private prisons to approve.
In March 2011, the
Liberty County, Texas
Liberty County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 91,628. The county seat is Liberty. The county was created in 1831 as a municipality in Mexico and organized as a county in 1837. It is named for ...
jail failed an inspection by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards. Violations included key administrators lacking state licenses, plumbing problems, and inoperative communications systems.
In October 2011, CEC Correctional Officer James Allen Roach pleaded guilty to charges of smuggling tobacco and marijuana to inmates at the
Liberty County, Texas
Liberty County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 91,628. The county seat is Liberty. The county was created in 1831 as a municipality in Mexico and organized as a county in 1837. It is named for ...
facility.
In January 2012, the Deputy Commissioner of the
New Jersey Department of Corrections
The New Jersey Department of Corrections (NJDOC) is responsible for operations and management of prison facilities in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The department operates 13 major institutions—seven adult male correctional facilities, three ...
, Lydell B Sherrer, pleaded guilty to federal extortion charges for arranging jobs at the facilities in exchange for bribes.
In July 2012, the New Jersey State Legislature held two days of hearings on halfway houses in the state. Shortly after the hearings, the state imposed a fine of $45,000 on contractors including Community Education Centers for not promptly notifying state authorities of escaped inmates in six prior cases.
In 2013, ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' reported that the firm was the largest provider of halfway house services in Pennsylvania with almost 1,300 beds. A study by the
Pennsylvania Department of Corrections
The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (PADOC) is the Pennsylvania state agency that is responsible for the confinement, care and rehabilitation of approximately 37,000 inmates at state correctional facilities funded by the Commonwealth of P ...
identified higher rates of recidivism among inmates who went through halfway houses before release, as opposed to those released directly from jail.
In May 2013, CEC Correctional Officer Latondra Natrell Brown was arrested for smuggling contraband to inmates at the
Liberty County, Texas
Liberty County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 91,628. The county seat is Liberty. The county was created in 1831 as a municipality in Mexico and organized as a county in 1837. It is named for ...
Drug rehabilitation
Drug rehabilitation is the process of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and street drugs such as cannabis, cocaine, heroin or amphetamines. The general intent i ...