CCA Enhances Addictions Treatment Programs with Accreditation; CCA Becomes Organizational Member of NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Corrections Corporation of America (CCA)(NYSE: CXW), the nation's largest provider of corrections management services to the government, has been approved for organizational membership in the National Association of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselors (now known as NAADAC, the Association for Addictions Professionals). NAADAC is the leading professional membership organization for counselors, educators, and other health professionals who specialize in addiction prevention and treatment and the largest credentialing organization in the addictions treatment field. CCA is the first and only correctional company, including both privately and publicly-operated corrections systems, to apply for and receive NAADAC's Education Provider status.

CCA submitted extensive supplementary program proposals including sample lesson plans, curricula, and evaluation tools as part of the specific and rigorous approval process to earn certification as a Continuing Education Training Provider through NAADAC. Through its membership with NAADAC, CCA will gain accreditation capabilities for counselor certification, additional curriculum support, and access to first-rate research-based training and treatment materials. CCA counselors will be able to expand their careers and raise their level of professionalism through in-house additional education, clinical training, nationally-recognized credentials, and certification programs which meet or exceed NAADAC standards.

Piloting these developments is CCA's Director of Addictions Treatment and Behavior Management Programs, Dr. Don Murray. Murray brings over 22 years of experience working as a psychologist and drug abuse program coordinator in several institutional and prison environments including the Federal Bureau of Prisons, where he spearheaded the development and implementation of the American Correctional Association's "best practices" award-winning, agency-wide Residential Drug Abuse Program. "This partnership between CCA and NAADAC involves our mutual commitment to seeing more done in the criminal justice arena to certify staff and offer high quality clinical services in prisons and jails," says Dr. Murray.

Rick Seiter, CCA's Chief Corrections Officer says, "CCA is investing in a very focused effort to enhance the quality of training for our employees, and this is evidenced by our dedication to training and certification for our addictions treatment professionals."

Utilizing the membership in NAADAC as well as an external advisory board of industry leaders, Murray is successfully leading CCA in its efforts to provide the most effective inmate substance abuse and behavioral programs. The agenda will afford treatment staff more opportunities to fulfill requirements if they are seeking licensure or needing annual Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for maintaining certification. "NAADAC offers several levels of training, credentialing and development opportunities for our staff through CCA's organizational membership which they would not otherwise have available," says Murray. "It is a wonderful opportunity for anyone looking to make a career in the field or to grow professionally."

Dr. Murray also explains the critically important benefit of training and staff certification in dealing with diverse inmate populations our customers ask the corporation to manage. "Continuing education provided to our staff with leading edge treatment technologies makes us a more attractive partner to our government customer agencies. The use of certified staff who receive the highest caliber of training leads to increased customer confidence in our ability to meet our goal of providing only the highest caliber of specialized service delivery," says Murray.

This partnership also benefits the inmates in CCA's care. According to a study by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA) in 1998, approximately 80% of the offender population enter the correctional system because of crimes related to drug and alcohol abuse and addictions problems. The CASA study shows that drug abusers are the most likely offenders to recidivate as well. In state prisons, 41% of first-time offenders, 63% of inmates with two prior convictions, and 81% of inmates with five or more prior convictions have used drugs regularly. CCA hopes to reduce these rates, helping inmates out of the "downward spiral" of addiction and into a positive, productive lifestyle. Another study by the Federal Bureau of Prisons indicated that male and female offenders who completed a residential substance abuse treatment program were 16% and 18%, respectively, less likely than their non-participating counterparts to return to prison during their first three years after release. NAADAC's materials and training will provide additional, cost-effective support to the 22 residential addictions treatment programs available at CCA facilities.

NAADAC Acting Executive Director, Cynthia Moreno Tuohy, anticipates the broad benefits of the affiliation with CCA. "In partnering with Corrections Corporation of America, NAADAC is committed to expanding high quality staff training and certification. The tools provided by certification and education ultimately allow us to create healthier clients and communities," Moreno Tuohy says.

Program provisions are in the early start-up phases, and will take a few months to become operational. CCA will begin to offer NAADAC approved CEUs for staff to enhance their addictions treatment counseling proficiency as early as June of 2005.

For more information on CCA's addictions treatment and behavioral programs, call Dr. Don Murray at [phone], ext. 3112.

CCA is the nation's largest owner and operator of privatized correctional and detention facilities and one of the largest prison operators in the United States, behind only the federal government and four states. The company operates more than 60 correctional facilities, including 39 company-owned facilities, with a total design capacity of approximately 70,000 beds in 19 states and the District of Columbia. For further information about CCA, please visit our website at www.correctionscorp.com.