A model for drug rehabilitation in Maine: The CARA Project

Photographer Carter McCall recently spent more than a month capturing images and video of participants of the Kennebec County Jail’s Criminogenic Addiction Recovery Academy program.

CARA, as the program is more often called, was started in 2010 and is a 5.5 week program that focuses on group therapy and skill building. Most participants are at the end of their sentence, which they are serving because of repeated criminal behavior that has been linked to drug use.

McCall began attending meetings and group discussions in April and followed the inmates through their journey. During the five weeks, he came to know theses men as individuals and recorded their personal stories and journey through the program.

This project started as a MaineFrame, the BDN’s name for regularly-published photos essays. However, it soon became a way to highlight a program that has seen real results due to its effort to change the drug abuse culture that exists in Maine.

The CARA program is unique to Kennebec County, but it could serve as a model for drug rehabilitation across the state. Since its inception in 2010, 24 groups of men and women have gone through the program, with the most recent class ranging in age from 19 to 37-years-old.

Check out McCall’s work here:  http://bangordailynews.com/slideshow/kennebec-county-creates-drug-rehab-program-to-find-something-that-works/

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