Community Education Centers, Inc.

What Community Education Centers, Inc. does

Community Education Centers, Inc. (CEC) is a private U.S.-based provider of rehabilitative services for offenders, founded in 1985 and headquartered in West Caldwell, New Jersey. The company operates three primary service lines: residential and non-residential reentry treatment, in-prison treatment programs, and full-service correctional facility management. CEC designs, builds, and operates prisons, jails, and detention centers under multi-year government contracts with federal agencies (U.S. Marshals Service, Federal Bureau of Prisons, ICE), 11+ state departments of corrections (New Jersey, Pennsylvania, California, Florida, Wyoming, South Dakota, South Carolina, Indiana, Colorado, New Mexico, Alabama), and multiple county governments (Delaware County PA, Liberty/Fannin/Kinney/Ector counties TX, Columbiana County OH, Essex County NJ).

The company's core technology is a modified Therapeutic Community treatment model grounded in the Risk-Need-Responsivity principle and targeting criminogenic risk, developed through partnerships with universities and researchers. The offering is delivered as a continuum of care spanning licensed in-patient and outpatient services, work release, in-prison treatment, clinical oversight, training, and alumni aftercare. A wholly-owned subsidiary, SECON, provides drug and alcohol testing services worldwide. The company maintains American Correctional Association (ACA) accreditation at 100% standards scores across multiple facilities and additionally complies with National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC) and Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) standards.

Revenue is generated exclusively through managed-services contracts with government agencies obtained via competitive procurement. The reported 2007 funding round participation from PE investors (Armentum Partners, First Analysis, LLR Partners, NewSpring, Primus Capital Partners) signals institutional capital involvement at some point in the company's history. The company reports 3,500+ employees across divisions and operates a network of more than 20 named facilities across the U.S. and Bermuda, with annual operational metrics including 495 GED/HS equivalencies earned, 285,000+ hours of substance abuse treatment lectures, and 225,000+ hours of counseling sessions.

Name

Community Education Centers, Inc.

Legal name

Community Education Centers, Inc.

Website

https://cecintl.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Community Education Centers, Inc. is a private U.S. provider of offender rehabilitative services operating three divisions: residential reentry treatment, in-prison treatment, and correctional facility management, with drug testing via its SECON subsidiary. The company serves federal, state, and county government agencies exclusively under multi-year managed-services contracts across 10+ U.S. states and Bermuda.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Correctional and Rehabilitative Services

NAICS

Correctional Institutions (922140), Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420)

SIC

Services-Detective, Guard & Armored Car Services (7381), Services-Specialty Outpatient Facilities, Nec (8093)

akta.pro primary industry

Adult Corrections (Prisons & Jails) (BPAIAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Correctional Health, Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services (In-Custody) (BPAKANAG), Forensic & Correctional Behavioral Health Services (HLAFACAM)

Keywords

• Correctional facility management
• Offender reentry services
• In-prison treatment programs
• Therapeutic community treatment
• Drug and alcohol testing

Headquarters

HQ city

West Caldwell

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices24 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Government Contracts - Corrections Management: CEC designs, builds, and operates prisons, jails, and detention centers for federal, state and local government through management contracts. Revenue generated from comprehensive correctional services including facility operations, security, and inmate services.
2. Government Contracts - Reentry Services: Residential reentry center operations providing transitional services for offenders including therapeutic community treatment, work release, day reporting, and related programming. Contracts with state corrections departments, parole boards, and federal agencies.
3. Government Contracts - In-Prison Treatment: Behind-the-walls programming providing substance abuse treatment, educational services, and cognitive restructuring programs within correctional facilities for federal, state and county administrations.
4. SECON Drug Screening Services: Drug and alcohol testing services provided worldwide through SECON subsidiary, offering comprehensive drug testing and screening solutions to various clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CEC designs, operates, and staffs reentry treatment facilities, in-prison therapeutic community programs, and county/state/federal jails and detention centers under multi-year government contracts. Service offerings include evidence-based substance abuse treatment, cognitive behavioral programming, educational and vocational training, family services, alumni aftercare, correctional facility management, health care delivery, and drug screening through its SECON subsidiary. All services are delivered to federal, state, county, and local government agencies via direct contracting and competitive procurement.

Product overview

Community Education Centers, Inc. (CEC) is a leading national provider of rehabilitative services for offenders, operating three core service divisions: Reentry Treatment Services, In-Prison Treatment, and Corrections Management. The company provides evidence-based therapeutic community programming for residential and non-residential clients, comprehensive jail and detention facility management, and drug screening services through its SECON subsidiary. CEC operates an extensive network of facilities across multiple states and Bermuda, offering a continuum of care that includes substance abuse treatment, educational and vocational training, family services, health care, and alumni aftercare support. The company maintains documented records of reducing recidivism and provides services to government agencies including the Federal Bureau of Prisons, U.S. Marshals Service, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and various state and county departments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Reentry Treatment Services
• In-Prison Treatment
• Corrections Management Services
• SECON Drug Screening Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 495 GED/HS Equivalency certificates earned annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• SECON (Drug Testing Subsidiary)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSECON is a wholly-owned subsidiary of CEC providing comprehensive drug testing and screening services worldwide. CEC services include drug and alcohol testing through SECON, representing an integrated service offering within CEC's correctional and reentry service portfolio.
• Education and Health Centers of America, Inc. (EHCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEC serves as the service provider for Education and Health Centers of America, Inc. at multiple New Jersey facilities including Tully House, Talbot Hall, Logan Hall, Delaney Hall, and Bo Robinson. This partnership enables delivery of comprehensive education and health services within reentry facilities.
• United States Marshals ServiceflagshipOthersCEC manages multiple detention facilities under contract with the US Marshals Service including Liberty County Jail (TX), Fannin County Detention Center (TX), Kinney County Detention Center (TX), and Ector County Correctional Center (TX), providing jail/detention management and correctional services.
• Sioux San Indian HospitalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Sioux San Indian Hospital in Rapid City provides residents at Community Alternatives of the Black Hills with free membership for access to the Wellness Center and Health & Life Balance resources, along with continuous cultural activities.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Wexford Health Sources: Wexford Health Sources is a leading provider of correctional healthcare services to state, local, and federal correctional facilities — directly comparable to CEC's NCCHC-aligned correctional healthcare delivery and in-prison clinical programs.
• Sentinel Offender Services: Sentinel Offender Services operates community supervision, electronic monitoring, and residential reentry programs for government agencies — a more focused peer to CEC's residential reentry and community corrections business.
• Management & Training Corporation (MTC): MTC is a leading private operator of correctional facilities, detention centers, and rehabilitation/educational programs for government agencies nationwide, with a strong emphasis on evidence-based treatment and offender education — closely overlapping CEC's three core divisions.
• Corizon Health: Corizon Health (formerly PHS Correctional Healthcare) provides correctional healthcare and behavioral health services in prisons, jails, and detention facilities across the U.S. — directly comparable to CEC's correctional health and mental health service lines.

Broad incumbents

• CoreCivic: CoreCivic (formerly Corrections Corporation of America) is a major publicly traded private corrections operator providing facility management, in-prison programs, and residential reentry services to government agencies — the closest broad comparable to CEC's corrections and reentry divisions.
• GEO Group: GEO Group is one of the largest publicly traded private corrections and reentry operators in the U.S., operating secure facilities, residential reentry centers, and in-prison treatment programs for federal, state, and local agencies — directly comparable to CEC across all three divisions and government customer segments.
• Aramark Correctional Services: Aramark provides food services, facilities support, and operational services to correctional institutions — comparable as an incumbent operator of facility support services within corrections, overlapping with CEC's facility management scope.

Emerging players

• Center for Correctional Solutions: Center for Correctional Solutions provides consulting, training, and program management for corrections agencies including reentry programming and evidence-based practices — an emerging player adjacent to CEC's treatment and program management offerings.
• Laurus Health Solutions (Behavioral Health): Bonterra (formerly Providence Service Corp / Providence Human Services) operates community-based behavioral health, substance use treatment, and correctional reentry programs through government contracts — closely comparable to CEC's in-prison treatment and reentry substance abuse services.
• Bi Incorporated: Bi Incorporated provides community-based correctional services including electronic monitoring, halfway house, and case management for federal, state, and local agencies — overlapping with CEC's residential reentry division but with a stronger focus on monitoring technology.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/community-education-centers

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors5 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Community Education Centers, Inc.