The Community Placement Program is a program for males ages 16-20 who are 3-12 months from release from the Department of Juvenile Justice. This program places an emphasis on increasing educational competencies, increasing employment readiness, and reducing criminal behavior by helping residents improve their abilities in the areas of self-control, decision making and problem solving.
Programming is based upon integrated community models, emphasizes a positive peer culture, and is designed and structured to create a safe environment for social learning and change. The community model is a total treatment environment that provides a residential, 24-hour-per-day, 7 day per week, intensive learning experience in which behaviors, attitudes, values, and emotions are continually monitored, and corrected or reinforced as part of the daily regime. The role of the community model is to re-socialize members according to positive values and substance-free lifestyles.
The critical clinical element of the community is the peer community itself. Positive values and principles established by staff and participants collaboratively support appropriate behavior. In contrast to traditional programs that rely on individual and group counseling sessions, the powerful agent of change in the community is the community members and the social learning process, that is, peer support. Counseling, education and other treatment methodologies are found within however the primary agent of change is the community. The primary function of staff is to serve as role models for change, guides for recovery and managers of the community process.
In the Cognitive community the primary psychological goal is to change the negative patterns of feeling, thinking and behaving that predispose criminal behavior, drug use, and relapse. The main social goal of the community model helps members to develop a responsible drug-free lifestyle.
This lifestyle change occurs in a social context. Negative patterns, attitudes and roles were not acquired in isolation, nor can they be altered in isolation. Thus recovery depends not only on what has been learned, but how and where learning occurs. This assumption is the basis for the Community itself serving as teacher. The Community defines healthy living in its philosophy and values and supports healthy living with its rules. Through the use of teaching and role modeling, trial and error learning, and constructive criticism, members experience re-socialization along with growth in competence, confidence and self-efficacy.
For additional information about the Community Placement Program, please contact Paul Fry III, CPP Case Manager.