MORRIS COMMUNITY CORRECTIONAL CENTER
(Formerly Morris Correctional Institution)
300 Water Street
Dover, DE 19904
(302) 739-4758
Warden: Jim Hutchins
Deputy Warden: Wendi Lucus Caple
The Morris Community Corrections Center (MCCC) is a 150-bed Level IV (4) facility in Dover, Delaware housing two programs. These programs are:- The Crest Substance Abuse Treatment Program
- The Morris Work Release Program
The Morris Community Corrections Center is located in Dover, Dealware. Each Program is classified as Level IV (4). Morris became a Level IV facility in January 1999. Morris currently houses male and female offenders.
The Crest Program at Morris is one of four Crest programs in the State. Crest is the second part of Delaware's internationally recognized three-step drug treatment continuum. KEY is the first phase. Aftercare is the third phase. At Morris, the program is called Crest-Central. It is a residential treatment program for drug and alcohol abusers. Morris is the first Level IV facility in the State designed specifically to be a therapeutic community for offenders with a history of substance abuse. The Crest program is a 6-month program. For the first three months of the Crest program, resident/offenders are not permitted to leave the facility until they have successfully completed this period of the program. Offenders are immersed in substance abuse treatment, therapy and counseling. Security personnel escort them to off-site court appearances and medical appointments. During the second three months of the program, resident/offenders are permitted to leave the building unescorted to job seek, work, travel to outside medical appointments or to attend court appearances. Treatment continues through this second three-month phase. The Crest-Central program at Morris is for those offenders who are in the second three-month phase of the program. They have either completed the first three months of the program at the Central Violation of Probation Center (Crest Primary) or completed the in-prison, 12-18 month KEY drug treatment program at Howard R. Young Correctional Institution prison, The Sussex Correctional Institution or the Webb Correctional facility. They have either been ordered by a court to participate in the Crest program or classified to the program by Department of Correction officials. Offenders must pay a $25.00 a week room & board fee.
Offenders go through several phases of treatment during their time at Crest:
- Entry, evaluation, orientation: offenders become acclimated to life outside prison.
- Primary: counselors and offenders explore the weaknesses of individual offenders and prepare appropriate responses to minimize the likelihood of relapse.
- Job-seeking: offenders develop job seeking and interview skills.
- Work release: offenders maintain residence at Morris (Crest) while working in the community.
The Work Release Program is a transition program for offenders who are preparing to live in the community full-time. Work release is a program in which offenders job seek, work, attend outside medical appointments, tend to outside personal business, and participate in any mandated treatment programs. Offenders return to the facility at night to sleep. An offender can be ordered by a court to participate in work release or can be classified to the program by Department of Correction officials. Some offenders come to work release after a prison stay. Some come directly from the community. Offenders normally stay in work release less than one year with the average stay of four to six months. Work release offenders typically work for private employers and participate in treatment and educational programs. Department officials must approve employers. Random substance abuse testing is mandatory for all offenders and continues throughout their stay at the Morris Center. Offenders must display pro-social behaviors such as honesty, responsibility, and accountability. While employed full-time, offenders must pay a $25 a week room & board fee and pay $25 toward any court obligations that have been imposed.
Morris offers other treatment and programs to supplement the Crest program. These programs include the James H. Groves Adult Education program that helps offenders to earn their GED, Bible study, parenting classes, Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous.
Prior to January 1999, Morris was a Level V (5) institution called the Morris Correctional Institution (MCI). MCI housed up to 90 minimum-security adult offenders.
It also served as the reception and confinement facility for offenders serving DUI sentences.
The building's history dates back to 1932 when it opened as the Kent County jail. Years later, it became part of the state correctional system and was renamed Kent Correctional Center. In the early 1970's, its mission changed and it became the Delaware Youth Center. Due to an increasing adult male population, an act by the Delaware Legislature in 1977 designated the facility back to an adult correctional institution. The facility was renamed the Morris Correctional Institution in honor of J. Edward Morris, a former state legislator who was deeply involved in correctional issues throughout his career. In July 1998, a $9 million construction and renovation project began at Morris. A new 150-bed building, consisting of housing units, treatment space, dining facilities, recreation space and administrative offices, was built.
The original building was renovated into the Warden's Office, additional administrative and housing space, a new kitchen, and a medical services area.
Vince Bianco is the Warden of the Morris Community Corrections Center.
Inmate Mail Address
Inmate Name
Morris Community Corrections Center
300 Water Street
Dover, DE 19904
