Mission
CACJ’s mission is to serve society by working with the community and justice system to promote, develop and implement effective alternatives that preserve human dignity, restore, heal and empower individuals.
History
CACJ began in 1976 as a grass roots effort by community citizens to address the problems faced by offenders re-entering the community. It was incorporated in 1978. The agency began collaborating with local judges, district justices, police, prison staff, attorneys and human services to design and implement programs in Centre County.
The Community Service Program was officially established in 1979 in cooperation with Centre County Probation and Parole. This new program allowed judges to sentence offenders to community service under the supervision of CACJ’s volunteers. In 1984,after hundreds of offenders had been supervised by CACJ volunteers, it was agreed that the Probation Department would assume total responsibility for the program. CACJ received the Centre County Medical Society’s Benjamin Rush Award for Outstanding Health Services for this program.
Collaborations
CACJ staff members sit on a variety of local and state boards, including:
