News Details

Center for Positive Change to host summer completion ceremony – hires program graduate to work with new clients

August 10, 2018

SOLANO COUNTY – The Probation Department's Center for Positive Change is literally saving lives.

Everyone is invited to join the department next Tuesday, August 14 starting at 4 p.m. for the fourth annual summer completion ceremony, located at the County Events Center, 601 Texas Street in Fairfield.  The ceremony will recognize 71 high-risk offenders who have successfully completed the rigorous program, giving them the tools and support necessary to help them regain control over their lives.

"The program definitely saved my life," said Robert Arleth, a Center for Positive Change (CPC) upcoming program graduate.  “After making a commitment to the CPC, I was willing to do what they asked me to do, I was willing to change – and because of that, I have turned my life around for the better.”

Shortly after completing the rigorous CPC program, Arleth was hired as a Peer Group Facilitator at the Center for Positive Change.  As an employee, he will provide counseling and guidance to clients like himself who struggle with sobriety, unemployment and chronic homelessness.

“I participated in all the groups that were offered (while at the CPC), learned to solve problems for myself and to make better decisions,” Arleth said.  “As a result, I regained my sobriety, obtained housing and got a job.  Working for the CPC and with clients who struggle as I did is part of my recovery – it keeps me clean and sober while giving back to the community that gave so much to me, each and every day.”

“We are so proud of these program graduates who have worked so hard to change their lives for the better,” says Christopher Hansen, Chief Probation Officer for Solano County.  “Robert is just one example of how through hard work, determination and dedication – there is nothing that can hold you back if you are serious about making a positive change.”

The CPC opened in April 2013 as a result of the implementation of Assembly Bill 109 (AB109), which made fundamental changes to California’s correctional system.  AB109 changed the sentencing and supervision of people convicted of felony offenses and amended a number of statutes concerning definitions of felonies, where sentences are served, and how defendants are supervised.

Designed as a one-stop-shop, the CPC provides comprehensive rehabilitation services designed to reduce recidivism.  The goal of the CPC is to assist and provide services to offenders returning from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and our County jail facilities, and moderate to high risk offenders who are under the jurisdiction of the Probation Department.

The CPC graduated 37 individuals in 2015, 45 in 2016, and 77 in 2017.

This event is free to the public.  For more information and to RSVP please contact Nicole Bryant at (707) 553-5253 or [email protected].