HUNTINGTON -- The Western Regional Day Report Center recently received a $425,000 community corrections grant award to help the center in day-to-day operations during fiscal year 2009-2010.
Last week, Gov. Joe Manchin, III, presented Christopher Dean, director of the Western Regional Day Report Center, with the award. The Day Report Center also recently secured an additional $40,000 in grant funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The Western Regional Day Report Center is a regional community corrections program established July 1, 2008, by the Wayne and Cabell county commissions to assist the courts in identifying nonviolent offenders who may be eligible for supervision and treatment through the center.
"This money will go a long way in saving the counties money and help us give nonviolent offenders a chance at breaking the chains of addiction and get their lives back," Dean said.
The center assists the courts in identifying nonviolent offenders who may have addiction, mental health issues or other problems. As a result, the program saves the counties the cost of housing nonviolent offenders in the regional jail and gives the offenders the chance to get their lives back on track through intensive drug testing and rehabilitation.
All offenders also are required to provide community service work throughout the counties. The Day Report Center places offenders at various nonprofit organizations for community service and provides road crews in each county at least three times a week when clients pick up litter along the roads. During its first year of operation, the Day Report Center provided services to more offenders than any other program in the state.
