More than 70 formerly incarcerated Santa Barbara County residents are better equipped for society now that they’ve completed a reentry program at the Day Reporting Centers in Santa Maria and Santa Barbara.
Graduate John Piccirillo, who served 30 years in prison on a bank robbery conviction, said in a press release that the Day Reporting Center’s program saved his life.
“I have been a criminal all of my life. I have never had a job and never cared for anyone other than myself. This gave me the opportunity to make something out of my life and give back while I am doing it,” he said in the release.
All of the graduates are ex-prisoners who were referred to the program by their parole agents. The program’s case managers and specialists focus on issues specific to the individuals participating.
Topics include substance abuse treatment, cognitive behavioral intervention, employment services, career planning, school counseling, transitional housing support, and service opportunities.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office and Community Solutions Inc. opened the Day Reporting Centers in 2010.
This article appears in Aug 21-28, 2014.