Alabama Bureau of Pardons & Paroles Director Awarded for Rehabilitation, Reentry Programming
Alabama Bureau of Pardons & Paroles Director Cam Ward was one of seven national leaders to receive the 2025 Pillar of Excellence Award from the Addiction Policy Forum on Dec. 2 in Washington, D.C.
“We’re proud to represent Alabama, Governor Kay Ivey and our excellent officers and staff by bringing this award back to the Bureau,” Director Ward said. “Alabama’s leaders have been staunch supporters of our work while our team remains dedicated to these programs that lead to reduced crime, better outcomes and safer communities across the state.”
Since assuming his role in 2020, Director Ward has helped enhance public safety, reduce recidivism and strengthen the local workforce through evidence-based reentry programming, job training and education, counseling and substance use treatment. This includes programs offered at a vast network of Day Reporting Centers and the Perry County PREP Center, which provide comprehensive reentry and rehabilitation services to probationers and parolees across Alabama. According to the ABPP, the PREP Center has maintained a zero-percent recidivism rate and helped more than 400 people find a positive path post-incarceration since opening in 2022.
Prior to joining ABPP, Director Ward was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives in 2002 and served two terms before voters elected him to the Alabama Senate in 2010. As a state senator, Director Ward represented parts of Shelby, Bibb and Chilton County and championed the Justice Reinvestment Initiative, a federal program that provides small grants to help states use data to solve criminal justice challenges. Director Ward used findings from the JRI to promote legislation that strengthened community-based supervision, prioritized prison space for violent offenders, and promoted evidence-based services and treatment for people receiving community supervision.
The Addiction Policy Forum is a national nonpartisan nonprofit organization dedicated to ending addiction and helping families and communities affected by substance use disorder. The group works to advance effective prevention, treatment, recovery and criminal justice solutions through education, advocacy and innovation.