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One of the most impressive examples
of Criminon’s success is the Second Chance (la Secunda
Oportunidad) program located in Mexico’s  Ensenada
State Prison. Long considered one of the toughest prisons in
the country, Ensenada housed in excess of 600 inmates, more
than 80% of whom were heavy drug users, particularly of heroin.
Drugs were readily available in the prison.
The Criminon program there was started in 1994 by two volunteers,
Rick Pendery and Joy Westrum. Utilizing the drug rehabilitation
methods of L. Ron Hubbard and the courses of the standard Criminon
program, their results exceeded all expectations. Starting with
a small core of inmates, the Criminon program produced such
clear and life-changing successes that other prisoners insisted
upon being included.
Today, the Mexican government has converted the entire facility
into a prison drug rehabilitation  center
and is expanding the Criminon program to other prisons in its
system. Why? Because the Criminon program has reduced recidivism
from 70% to 10% for those who have completed only the first
of the Criminon courses before their release from confinement.
For those who have completed the full program, in more than
four years, not a single former inmate has returned to prison.
And for those still incarcerated, many choose to contribute
by becoming staff in the Second Chance program—which is
run on a day-to-day basis by the inmates themselves. |
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“In the prison
of Ensenada, with the Criminon program called ‘Second
Chance,’ we have worked  with
the most incorrigible and worst prisoners of the entire
state. And we have seen them change. With the methods
of Mr. Hubbard, they recover their own self-respect. They
have converted themselves into productive beings. But
not only have they won; also their families and society
have won. I am sure that these individuals never again
will walk down the dark, lonely road of crime and drugs.”
Francisco Iribe
Former Chief of Police,
Mexicali, Mexico
“I feel as if I have been reborn.
“I had lost my wife, my brothers and my kids. I had
no purpose toward my future.  All
I did was steal and continue drugs. I didn’t care
if I would live or die.
“Now my life has changed completely.
I have my relations back with my family. I have a lot
of desire to live as I have importance to myself and my
loved ones. I owe this to Mr. Hubbard and all the people
who helped me in this program.”
H.R.S. |
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