Merced County selects BI Incorporated to operate Day Reporting Center for Adults and Juveniles

BI Incorporated announces that the Merced County Probation Department has selected BI to operate an innovative Day Reporting Center (DRC) for adult and juvenile probationers and youthful offenders. The Merced County DRC will include intensive supervision, treatment and training for offenders who typically recidivate at high cost to local taxpayers. The center will open in March and be located at 3345 M Street in Merced, the county seat.

Merced, CA (PRWEB) February 2, 2008 -- BI Incorporated announced that the Merced County Probation Department has selected BI to operate an innovative Day Reporting Center (DRC) for adult and juvenile probationers and youthful offenders. The Merced County DRC will include intensive supervision, treatment and training for offenders who typically recidivate at high cost to local taxpayers. The center will open in March and be located at 3345 M Street in Merced, the county seat.

Up to 50 adults and youthful offenders will initially be enrolled in the DRC. The DRC will typically be reserved for chronic offenders who require extra supervision. Offenders who report to the DRC will go through a four-phase program that includes regular reporting to the center, intensive treatment and training, and ongoing testing for drug and alcohol use. Offenders will also participant in classes geared to change criminal behavior.

"The DRC is designed to support Merced County's goal of administering corrective services that hold offenders accountable for their behavior and providing rehabilitative services to strengthen the community," said Matt Moore, BI West Coast State Director.

Offenders will be placed at different levels of treatment and training based on assessed risks and needs. They will be monitored closely with daily check-ins, advanced drug-testing techniques, computerized data collection and intensive case management. Failure to comply with rules and guidelines at the DRC will result in increased sanctions such as tighter curfews, house arrest, or referral to probation or incarceration. Even when they complete the program, they will be required to return periodically for Aftercare sessions.

This intensive approach to community-based supervision will complement the Probation Department's overall supervision efforts. Classes will be geared toward changing criminal thinking and building vocational, coping, and life skills to reduce the risk of recidivism. By diverting offenders and defendants to the DRC, pressure will be reduced on the Merced County Jail and John Latorraca Correctional Facility. In addition, it will provide an intensive approach to managing juveniles being transferred to community supervision by the Division of Juvenile Justice.

This is the fourth county-funded DRC award that BI has won recently, after receiving similar awards in Pennsylvania, Kansas and New York. Initial findings at these other DRC programs indicate those DRCs are helping to reduce jail overcrowding and recidivism among program participants. BI also assists Merced County for electronic monitoring supervision.

Offenders will go to the Merced County DRC for a period of up to 180 days. Once enrolled, participants will attend group classes such as:

About BI Incorporated (www.bi.com)
Established in 1978, BI Incorporated is the leading technology and supervision company in community corrections today. BI has contracts with more than 1,000 governmental agencies nationwide, supporting them with a full continuum of intensive supervision technologies and community-based counseling, treatment services, and reentry programs for adult and juvenile offenders. BI's national monitoring center, owned and operated by BI, provides 24/7 expert support supervision services exclusively for governmental agencies. BI works closely with local public corrections officials to cost effectively reduce recidivism, promote public safety, and strengthen the communities it serves.

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