(a) The Director of Corrections may contract for the establishment and operation of separate community correctional reentry centers for men and women, provided that the per-inmate cost for operating these facilities under contract will be less than the per-inmate cost of maintaining custody of the inmates by the department.
(b) The purpose of the community correctional reentry center is to provide an enhancement program to increase the likelihood of a successful parole. The objective of the program is to make the inmates aware of their responsibility to society, and to assist the inmates with educational and employment training to ensure employability once on parole.
(c) A community correctional reentry center shall prepare the inmate for reintegration into society. These centers shall provide counseling in the areas of drug and alcohol abuse, stress, employment skills, victim awareness, and shall, in general, prepare the inmate for return to society. The program shall also emphasize literacy training and utilize computer-supported training so that the inmate can read and write at least at a ninth grade level.
(d) In awarding contracts pursuant to this section, the director may entertain proposals for the establishment and operation of community correctional reentry centers from public and private entities and shall give preference to community correctional reentry centers located near large population centers.
(Added by Stats. 1989, Ch. 879, Sec. 1.)