"If you can't trust yourself, you will never make it out of the revolving door of the prison system." That's the message of the Scientology Volunteer Ministers, working to rehabilitate the self-esteem of inmates in the jails of Taiwan.
 | | A Scientology Volunteer Minister, helping inmates in the jails of Taiwan make a new start and step out of the revolving door of recidivism. |
Not only is rising recidivism straining the resources of the correctional system of the nation, it also victimizes the community with escalating crime and represents a dead-end existence for the criminal and his or her family and friends.
L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the Scientology religion, described the key to resolving this problem when he wrote, "If one sincerely hopes to rehabilitate a criminal population then this is the factor one must consider: 'Where did they lose their self-respect?'"
The VMs have found that often what underlies this lack of self-esteem is an inability to communicate. Incapable of relating to people or dealing with conflicts or disagreements, they resort to actions that disregard the needs and wishes of those around them and start on a dwindling spiral that eventually winds them up behind bars.
The VMs deliver workshops using the Scientology Handbook based on the works of L. Ron Hubbard. They cover such subjects as ethics and integrity, communication and how to understand people. They get the inmates involved through practical exercises that increase their skill in dealing with others. And it is not unusual for those attending to gain new insight, like a recent participant who realized, "I thought I could just operate with my own interests in mind. Now I see I survive better if I help others survive too."
For more information on the Scientology Handbook and to read selections from the book online, visit www.scientologyhandbook.org
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