WHO:  Toorjo Ghose    

                Associate Professor, School of Social Policy and Practice at the University of Pennsylvania expert on incarceration, substance use, homelessness and HIV

                Founder and CEO, The Center for Carceral Communities

WHAT:     The Center for Carceral Communities’ Opening Event

WHEN:     Wednesday, November 9, 4:30-7 p.m.

WHERE:   CCP West Campus, 4725 Chestnut Street, Suite 112-113

The Center for Carceral Communities, CCC, is hosting a grand opening event on Wednesday, Nov. 9 from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at its first location in West Philadelphia. The occasion will feature presentations by community members. Food and drink will be provided.

The center, an initiative of the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice, is a collective of service providers and people with a history of incarceration.

CCC focuses on reducing recidivism, improving mental health, and facilitating community re-engagement and collaborates with West Philadelphia neighborhoods to help people who have been released incarceration. The center, which has been operating for about a year, provides free, evidence-based psychosocial services that also address education, housing, advocacy and primary care challenges.

CCC closely partners with Community College of Philadelphia as well as judges and parole officers in the criminal justice system to reverse the community-to-prison pipeline by helping participants harness their strengths and become leaders in the community.