Second Chance is Running Out of Options

[byte301]

Just to let you all know what's going on in my neck of the woods. Second Chance is a NarCONon program for convicts here in Albuquerque. It has come under scrutiny lately since it has gotten state funding.

This is an article from The Albuquerque Journal:



Saturday, December 20, 2008

Rehab Center May Be Out of Options

By Jeff Proctor
Journal Staff Writer
The Second Chance Center has until Christmas Eve to satisfy the city or face eviction.
If the secure rehabilitation facility for drug offenders currently leasing the old West Side jail building from the city doesn't give a detailed accounting of its inmates, what charges landed them at Second Chance, what treatment they are receiving and information about the center's insurance and property taxes, it will likely be shut down, city officials said.
Albuquerque Chief Public Safety Officer Pete Dinelli sent a letter to Second Chance President Joy Westrum on Friday "demanding ... the information be provided no later than Dec. 24."
"It must be emphasized that unless we receive a complete and prompt response to this demand ... the city intends to exercise any and all legal remedies it has under the lease agreement, including but not limited to termination of the lease and eviction," Dinelli wrote.
Westrum said Friday that she plans to cooperate with the city. She hung up on a Journal reporter before she could be asked whether the center is in compliance with its lease or with the state law that was passed in 2006 enabling the center to open, or about allegations from current and former employees.
Earlier this week, the Journal reported that the center was having trouble making payroll and paying bills and had laid off some employees. Some employees have alleged it hasn't paid any of its staff since Dec. 1, and that staff members routinely have to "bring their own toilet paper."
Sierra County Sheriff Ron Brown has said he has taken overflow inmates from his jail to Second Chance. On Thursday, Grant County Manager Jon Saari said that in the past year, about 25 inmates have been sent from the Grant County jail to Second Chance. He did not know what charges those inmates were facing or how long they were staying at the center, but said they were not overflow inmates.
According to the legislation creating Second Chance, it can take only prisoners who meet certain criteria — such as not having been convicted of a violent or sexual offense and having been sentenced to the facility by a judge. Inmates must complete a six-month rehabilitation program before being released.
Also, according to the law's provisions, Second Chance was supposed to be for male offenders only. It is now housing female offenders, although it is unclear whether that violates state regulations or whether the law has been changed to allow it.
Before hanging up, Westrum said she was not familiar with the provisions of the law that allowed the center to open.
Dinelli has demanded a detailed accounting of each inmate, including the charges they face, which judge sentenced them to the center, whether they are classified by the state Corrections Department as minimum or medium security risks, and what treatment they're receiving for which type of drug.
Dinelli also is demanding copies of Second Chance's commercial, general liability, auto liability and worker's compensation insurance documents and verification that the center's property taxes have been paid.
City Attorney Bob White said Second Chance does not owe any money on its lease because part of its agreement with the city was that it could make capital improvements to the building in exchange for occupying the space. He said it's debatable whether some of the additions Second Chance has made — including a sauna — constitute improvements.
Second Chance uses massage, natural diet, saunas and some training manuals based on criminal justice research done by Church of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard to detoxify and rehabilitate drug offenders. It currently houses 65 inmates.
Westrum and other Second Chance officials have insisted its employees are forbidden from proselytizing any religion, and the program is not based in Scientology.
One security guard said Second Chance and the policies staffers must conform to are "totally based in Scientology."
Meanwhile, current and former employees say payroll has been a persistent problem for "at least a year."
"I have never been paid on time in the more than six months I've been there," one guard said. "And now, I haven't been paid since Dec. 1. ... I'm supposed to be paid again (Monday). I don't think I'm going to get paid, and no one will answer my calls about the paychecks.
"It's ridiculous," he said. "I have to bring my own toilet paper because they don't have money for the basics out there."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

And this report from KOB, a local TV station:


EMPLOYEES 'SECOND CHANCE' WEARING THIN

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- It's three days before Christmas and employees at a controversial rehabilitation center worry how they'll pay their bills, much less buy presents.

"Who can afford to work for free now-a-days when I have a family to take care of?" said Janet, a Second Chance program guard.

Action 7 News has agreed to not reveal the true identity of "Janet." She is a guard at Second Chance, a secured rehabilitation center for addicts.

"What's going on at Second Chance is guards are not getting paid. We were due to get paid on Dec. 8. We have not gotten paid," Janet said.

Second Chance pays its employees on the 8th and 22nd of each month. Janet said Second Chance now owes her two checks.

By phone Monday the president of Second Chance admitted she is behind in payroll. She said she puts the blame on many of the counties who use her facility, saying they are late in their payments and the domino effect rolls down.

"Some of us guards are losing our cars. One of the guards had lost his phone. He's losing his house, his water was just about getting turned off, but his neighbor helped him out," Janet said.

Second Chance president Joy Westrum also said state funding came in late and the nationwide economic crisis is hurting Second Chance's financial situation.

"I have no food in my house. I have no Christmas for my children or niece, nephew or anyone in my family and I don't think its right," Janet said.

Janet said she will continue to work at Second Chance hoping the money she has earned, will come to her sooner rather than later.

The city has given Second Chance until Dec. 24 to respond to allegations; the rehab center is taking in overflow inmates from Sierra County's Detention center.

City of Albuquerque attorneys said they'll shut second chance down if they can prove that's happening."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

So it's the usual stuff...no toilet paper and no staff pay. Thumbing their nose at those pesky regulations that shouldn't apply to "the most ethical people on the planet!"

I don't think Second Chance has a chance of making it through another year!

Merry Christmas!!

 

[scooter]

It's such a familiar story isn't it?

The SPs are crushing the place and the money has dried up because someone's not doing it 100% per Hubbard.

I wonder if the plea for donations has gone out?

 

[byte301]

It's such a familiar story isn't it?

The SPs are crushing the place and the money has dried up because someone's not doing it 100% per Hubbard.

I wonder if the plea for donations has gone out?

They claim now that most of their money comes from donations. Sure it does. lol

 

[Dulloldfart]

As I posted before, I don't see why the inmates doing this program shouldn't benefit from it. It doesn't have to be a 100% scam.

Presumably the people running it have to provide audited accounts to any government funding sources showing they're not taking home disproportionate salaries or sending half of it to the cult.

Paul

 

[Terril park]

It's such a familiar story isn't it?

The SPs are crushing the place and the money has dried up because someone's not doing it 100% per Hubbard.

I wonder if the plea for donations has gone out?

I've know people who've worked for Narconon in various capacities, and
researched a little. They were thrown out of an indian reservation
abode for not paying rent, and not paying staff. Donations vanished up lines mysteriously.

One of the problems Narconon has faced, and probably does here is
that the courts give people an option of jail or Narconon. The latter the easy option, and thus Narconon can find itself with many hardened criminals
who have no wish to be drug free.

Here the COS, DM, are being incredibly stupid. They have good contacts with the courts and the local authorities, and have a wonderful oportunity to
help those who might wish it, even if they achieve no more than the standard 5-10% success most such programs achieve, a good chance to make the word " scientology" to have higher esteem than "Al - Khaida. "

And they're pissing it away by not even buying toilet paper! This is a familiar problem for anyone who has ever worked in a scientology organisation. I can only assume that the same financial motivation of more money uplines is the " senior policy".

LRH did have a few interesting ideas. One was that those who don't get their own ethics in will then have justice issues to face.

Here we see it happening.

 

[olska]

LRH did have a few interesting ideas. One was that those who don't get their own ethics in will then have justice issues to face.

So ... does that mean you are crediting LRH with coming up with the "idea" that

those who don't get their own ethics in will then have justice issues to face

-- an idea that has been around on this planet even long before the Code of Hammurabi, some 1700 years BC?

 

[scooter]

I've know people who've worked for Narconon in various capacities, and
researched a little. They were thrown out of an indian reservation
abode for not paying rent, and not paying staff. Donations vanished up lines mysteriously.

One of the problems Narconon has faced, and probably does here is
that the courts give people an option of jail or Narconon. The latter the easy option, and thus Narconon can find itself with many hardened criminals
who have no wish to be drug free.

Here the COS, DM, are being incredibly stupid. They have good contacts with the courts and the local authorities, and have a wonderful oportunity to
help those who might wish it, even if they achieve no more than the standard 5-10% success most such programs achieve, a good chance to make the word " scientology" to have higher esteem than "Al - Khaida. "

And they're pissing it away by not even buying toilet paper! This is a familiar problem for anyone who has ever worked in a scientology organisation. I can only assume that the same financial motivation of more money uplines is the " senior policy".

LRH did have a few interesting ideas. One was that those who don't get their own ethics in will then have justice issues to face.

Here we see it happening.

Good point Terril

The "standard FP" for every Narconon is 10% goes to "management" plus the books are all quite expensive to buy as well.

And the profits made on the books would be considerable.

Thyen there's the fixed amounts to go to the Building Fund, Reserve Account etc. which can (and in my experience have) been pillaged by "management" to pay for costs like "project" (aka SO Mission) expenses.

So unless you can successfully negotiate that minefield you're already behind financially as it's just like running an org as it's the same PLs being forced in on you.

Then you have to deal with people who don't really want to be there but are just killing time until they're out of there and back to the old lifestyle again.

So it's not a set-up that gives you any great amount of leeway to actually do something for the people who are there to actually get off drugs.

And then you have the blatant lies told about the success rate.

I've seen people turned around from just wanting to get out to actually wanting to do the program and successfully completing it - but that took an FES on my part and some careful programming plus a lot of TLC and handling by EXPERIENCED AND WELL-TRAINED staff and finally being reged again for the program (without money changing hands amazingly - it's recommended in the Narconon materials to re-close the person on the program at certain points under some circumstances) so that the person WANTS to be drug-free.

I've seen a few stellar successes from that.

but it's a set-up with too many ingrained insanities to actually succeed - it would need (IMO) to drop a lot of the insanities built into the structure that it's inherited from from Hubbard policies and bulletins and then you'd see a program that did well consistently.

 

[byte301]

As I posted before, I don't see why the inmates doing this program shouldn't benefit from it. It doesn't have to be a 100% scam.

Presumably the people running it have to provide audited accounts to any government funding sources showing they're not taking home disproportionate salaries or sending half of it to the cult.

Paul

Well the people running Second Chance don't even feel they have to pay their employees, they've lied about their success rate, and they solicited convicts from other counties to pad their bank roll. They have taken in "overflows" from smaller counties which is against the regulations according to some city officials.

They hire some of their course completions and several of them have gone out and commited more crimes.

They also have some women convicts in Second Chance and that too is against the regulations from what I understand. In fact I saw an ad for c/s's, course sups, etc. on Razzline in August that was placed by Second Chance for a woman's Second Chance they were planning on starting.

It doesn't sound like anyone is doing any auditing on this program. But that's not unusual for NM.

I prefer my tax dollars going to a drug re-hab that doesn't have to tell the same old tired Scientology lies.

 

[Terril park]

So ... does that mean you are crediting LRH with coming up with the "idea" that



-- an idea that has been around on this planet even long before the Code of Hammurabi, some 1700 years BC?

Ho! Another history nerd.

This is generally considered the first example of " law " as opposed to rule of the king or whatever. Momentous!!! Expansion of life and civilisation.
The rules apply to all! [ compare the SO experience]

However I don't believe it included "Ethics" particularly for personal use.

Except in fleeting glances.

But, Hammurabi, one of my personal Heroes, and yes these ideas were not created by Hubbard totally. He did add something standing on the shoulders of the likes of Hammurabi.

Such is the work of philosophers.


Examples

These are the first three laws, in their entirety, of the Code of Hammurabi, translated into English:

1. If any one ensnares another, putting a ban upon him, but he can not prove it, then he that ensnared him shall be put to death.

2. If any one brings an accusation against a man, and the accused goes to the river and leaps into the river, if he sinks in the river his accuser shall take possession of his house. But if the river proves that the accused is not guilty, and he escapes unhurt, then he who had brought the accusation shall be put to death, while he who leaped into the river shall take possession of the house that had belonged to his accuser.

3. If any one brings an accusation of any crime before the elders, and does not prove what he has charged, he shall, if a capital offense is charged, be put to death.

There are 282 such laws in the Code of Hammurabi, each no more than a sentence or two. The 282 laws are bracketed by a Prologue in which Hammurabi introduces himself, and an Epilogue in which he affirms his authority and sets forth his hopes and prayers for his code of laws.

 

[Terril park]

Good point Terril

The "standard FP" for every Narconon is 10% goes to "management" plus the books are all quite expensive to buy as well.

And the profits made on the books would be considerable.

Thyen there's the fixed amounts to go to the Building Fund, Reserve Account etc. which can (and in my experience have) been pillaged by "management" to pay for costs like "project" (aka SO Mission) expenses.

So unless you can successfully negotiate that minefield you're already behind financially as it's just like running an org as it's the same PLs being forced in on you.

Then you have to deal with people who don't really want to be there but are just killing time until they're out of there and back to the old lifestyle again.

So it's not a set-up that gives you any great amount of leeway to actually do something for the people who are there to actually get off drugs.

And then you have the blatant lies told about the success rate.

I've seen people turned around from just wanting to get out to actually wanting to do the program and successfully completing it - but that took an FES on my part and some careful programming plus a lot of TLC and handling by EXPERIENCED AND WELL-TRAINED staff and finally being reged again for the program (without money changing hands amazingly - it's recommended in the Narconon materials to re-close the person on the program at certain points under some circumstances) so that the person WANTS to be drug-free.

I've seen a few stellar successes from that.

but it's a set-up with too many ingrained insanities to actually succeed - it would need (IMO) to drop a lot of the insanities built into the structure that it's inherited from from Hubbard policies and bulletins and then you'd see a program that did well consistently.

Fuck! I sort of guessed that Narconons ran on the crazy org financial situations.

Building fund? For Narconon? Oh sweet jesus!!!! [ not a christian]

Alan has commented here on how he as a rep of the Missions went to Folsom Prison addressing scary lifers, and they loved him.

William Benitez started a good thing. Once COS took over it failed bigtime.

Many sources on that.

Don't matter if you think SCN, DN is nonsense, if they get people drug free
its a good thing, and you've seen stories of that here.

COS is though just pissing this away.

One more reason their time is over.

 

[degraded being]

Ho! Another history nerd.

This is generally considered the first example of " law " as opposed to rule of the king or whatever. Momentous!!! Expansion of life and civilisation.
The rules apply to all! [ compare the SO experience]

However I don't believe it included "Ethics" particularly for personal use.

Except in fleeting glances.

But, Hammurabi, one of my personal Heroes, and yes these ideas were not created by Hubbard totally. He did add something standing on the shoulders of the likes of Hammurabi.

Such is the work of philosophers.


Examples

These are the first three laws, in their entirety, of the Code of Hammurabi, translated into English:

1. If any one ensnares another, putting a ban upon him, but he can not prove it, then he that ensnared him shall be put to death.

2. If any one brings an accusation against a man, and the accused goes to the river and leaps into the river, if he sinks in the river his accuser shall take possession of his house. But if the river proves that the accused is not guilty, and he escapes unhurt, then he who had brought the accusation shall be put to death, while he who leaped into the river shall take possession of the house that had belonged to his accuser.

3. If any one brings an accusation of any crime before the elders, and does not prove what he has charged, he shall, if a capital offense is charged, be put to death.

There are 282 such laws in the Code of Hammurabi, each no more than a sentence or two. The 282 laws are bracketed by a Prologue in which Hammurabi introduces himself, and an Epilogue in which he affirms his authority and sets forth his hopes and prayers for his code of laws.

Is this all supposed to prove that LRH made a valuable contribution in the area of Justice and/or Ethics??????

 

[olska]

Rule of law/personal ethics/LRH ideas

This [Code of Hammurabi] is generally considered the first example of " law " as opposed to rule of the king or whatever. Momentous!!! Expansion of life and civilisation.
The rules apply to all! [ compare the SO experience]

However I don't believe it included "Ethics" particularly for personal use.

Except in fleeting glances.

But, Hammurabi, one of my personal Heroes, and yes these ideas were not created by Hubbard totally. He did add something standing on the shoulders of the likes of Hammurabi.

In your view, what ideas, regarding rule of law and personal ethics, did Hubbard add?

 

[Iknowtoomuch]

I wonder how many of these criminals rave about it just to make it look like they are rehabilitated? So they can be free.

 

[Terril park]

In your view, what ideas, regarding rule of law and personal ethics, did Hubbard add?

The conditions. He did describe them as real and useful whether one had ever read them or not. I agree.

I've not heard of any other source of these, though there may well be some.

 

[degraded being]

The conditions. He did describe them as real and useful whether one had ever read them or not. I agree.

I've not heard of any other source of these, though there may well be some.

The conditions: Being used in a "real" and "useful" way
to make sure people stay enslaved in the cult.