CRIMINAL REHABILITATION

Churches of Scientology organize and coordinate public benefit activities as diverse as the needs of their communities and the talents and skills of the membership.

Scientologists also have adopted principles from Mr. Hubbard’s writings to help prison inmates and juvenile delinquents become productive members of society. This social benefit program called “Criminon” consists of a series of supervised and self-directed courses that help program participants develop communication skills, learn how to study, identify anti-social traits, and adopt higher standards of honesty and integrity. An integral part of the Criminon program is a correspondence course based on The Way to Happiness.

Since the Criminon program officially began in 1967, it has reached more than 10,000 prisoners and juvenile offenders in prison facilities in the United Kingdom, United States, Mexico, Argentina, Hungary, Poland, Sweden and Africa.

Feedback on the program’s results has been overwhelmingly positive. Without exception, graduates of Criminon programs report a new feeling of self-respect, a new sense of meaning in life, and a newly found commitment to do better in life. Prison officials and probation officers alike note a marked improvement in the behavior of the offenders in their charge as well as significant drops in recidivism.