A new prison-based social rehabilitation program, The Second Chance Program, is entering its sixth month in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Based on earlier successful pilot programs run in similar prison settings, it has education as a basic underlying key to effective rehab. The program is run by Joy Westrum, the president of the Second Chance Program (www.secondchanceprogram.net) and Rick Pendery, the national Executive Director of the Second Chance Centers and the steps ensure that the inmates who need remedial education have their reading level raised and those who can effectively study are given advanced educational tools to assist them in any further education that they may seek. Pendry explains, We recognized that many offenders have learning deficiencies that have contributed to their poor judgment in problem solving. In this Education Module if the offender does not read at least at an 8th Grade level, a remedial reading step is done. Once at that level the offenders learn effective tools to help them recognize and overcome the barriers they have to not only learning but applying what he learns." The Second Chance Program is a unique prison rehabilitation model inside the criminal justice system that offers drug rehabilitation as well as education and self-respect components to help reduce criminal behavior. The program is delivered to offenders in a secure setting and the six to eight-month program teaches self-control, critical reasoning, development of moral reasoning skills, development of life skills, self-esteem, problem solving and coping resources. It also offers a long-range nutritional and sauna based detoxification program which uses no alternate drugs. Westrum explains that the purpose of the educational step of the program is to provide tools for a future for the inmates in the criminal justice system, and then to assist their transition back into society so they can lead a crime-free life. We can teach them enough basic reading skills to study the materials of the program or we will tutor them through the various courses that we offer, if that is needed." We use the study technology developed by L. Ron Hubbard, the Founder of Scientology. Second Chance is non-religious by nature; it is a secular program. . Once they can read and understand what they read, they often study the religion of their birth with a far greater understanding. This is helpful in the rehabilitative process as it gives them a new found inner strength to go along with an increase in self-respect and self-esteem." We teach them the three barriers to study. Mr. Hubbard described the first one as lack of mass": not having the thing that you are studying to refer to in real life. If you are studying how to build a bridge, you need to go out and see and touch real bridges. The second barrier can be too steep a study gradient. He learns to notice how it feels to try to study something before the earlier understanding is in place. And the last one is the misunderstood word. One must have a clear understanding of the words he reads in order to fully duplicate and apply the materials one is studying." Knowing these barriers and how to handle them gets them in a position where they can study what they want and effectively apply what they learn. This is a vital part of our program for their transition back into society."
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