The Center for Community Transitions became a 501 c (3) organization in 1974 as ECO, Inc. The first and longest operating program is Aftercare, which provides transition services to men and women leaving prison or jail. Research shows that securing and retaining employment reduces the chance of a return to prison or jail. Soon after beginning this program we realized that the impact of prison did not just affect the prisoner, but also the prisoner's family.
The Family Support program was developed based on research that has shown that maintaining family ties is a key to reducing the chances of a return to prison or jail. Family support activities include transporting families to visit the prisoner, facilitating a twice-monthly support group, reconnecting inmate parents with their children and developing a parenting program that is taught at the Mecklenburg County jails.
In 1987, we opened the first contract prison in North Carolina, The ECO Center for Women. This program allows women who are near the end of their state prison sentence to participate in work release, family leave, study release and community leave programs to increase their ability to make a smooth transition back into the community.
From 1997 - 2001, ECO operated a transition residential program for women who were released from prison or jail and were homeless.
In 2006, ECO absorbed Mecklenburg Sentencing Services into the organization as the fourth program. Sentencing Services prepares in depth psychosocial sentencing reports for the courts in order to maximize the utilization of community resources as an option to prison.
In 2007, the board of directors approved the name change from ECO, Inc. to The Center for Community Transitions, continuing with the tagline, building people, not prisons. This name change became effective in January 2008 and will be officially announced in March 2008.
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