Introduction of these alternatives has been accelerated and implementation is scheduled for Fiscal Year 2009 and 2010. Day Reporting Centers, Community Impact, Boot Camp-Plus and Probation Substance Abuse Treatment programs will assist judges and law enforcement in dealing with unprecedented growth in methamphetamine addiction throughout the state.
Day Reporting Centers (DRCs) are "non-resident" drug and mental health treatment and restitution centers designed to offer judges viable, more cost-effective options for low-level, drug and property crime offenders. Research shows Day Reporting Centers are far more effective than Diversion Centers in combating recidivism. Currently located in Rome, Morrow, Griffin, Macon, Tifton and Athens, additional centers are scheduled to open in FY 09 in Gainesville, Columbus, Atlanta and Northwest Georgia. Savannah, Albany, Thomasville, Marietta and Dekalb County are scheduled for opening in FY 10. To see a video of Day Reporting Centers, visit www.dcor.state.ga.us.
The department will also work with communities to develop several new Community Impact Programs across the state, modeled after the existing Savannah Impact Program. In conjunction with the Day Reporting Center, this program is designed to assist with the offender's return to society by providing drug treatment and counseling. It also leverages collaboration with other law enforcement agencies in the community to "shadow" ex-felons through the reentry phase. This program will soon be offered in Day Reporting locations in Columbus, Augusta, Atlanta, Dekalb County, Marietta and Northwest Georgia.
As was previously announced, the Probation Boot Camp facility in West Georgia is being realigned and transferred to the Burruss Correctional Training Center. This 160-bed program called Boot Camp-Plus will be longer in duration, and drug and alcohol treatment will be added. An additional initiative for the judiciary will be the opening of a 200-bed Probation Substance Abuse Treatment Center (PSATC) in Northwest Georgia at Walker State Prison, scheduled to open in October 2008. This opening will help eliminate the current six to nine month backlog judges face in assigning probationers to residential drug programs, and will increase residential substance abuse treatment beds for probation by 600 in the past three years.
"We remain committed to supporting the judiciary and together, we will continue to build a safer Georgia," Commissioner James E. Donald said.
The Department of Corrections is the fifth largest prison system in the United States and is responsible for supervising nearly 60,000 state prisoners and over 150,000 probationers. It is the largest law enforcement agency in the state with approximately 15,000 employees.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2008/11/215576