Since 1995, SCP has worked with the Department of Prisons for the State of Baja California, in developing a prison-based rehabilitation model that directly addresses and handles four areas that are vital to the rehabilitation of inmates. The individual modules include: a Drug Rehabilitation Module, an Education Module, a Self-Respect Module and a Life Skills Module. This program is called "The Second Chance Program."

The purpose of the model was to convert a prison into a facility that would actually rehabilitate inmates so they did not come back into the criminal justice system after they were released. Due to this purpose, the parameters of the model were set to include a cross-section of the prison population rather than a population pre-screened for maximum chance of result. Additionally, it had to be able to start small and gradually expand to include most of the prison. It had to reduce violence and drug use inside the prison. It had to greatly reduce criminal recidivism and finally, had to be extremely cost effective. The Second Chance Program greatly exceeded all expectations.

The pilot for this program was established in 1995 in the Ensenada State Prison, which currently houses over 1000 inmates. The first six months of the pilot had an average of 40 inmates participating in the program. The program was gradually expanded so that, by June 2000, over 500 inmates were simultaneously receiving treatment. By early 2002 the program was expanded to all of the prisons in the State with over 2,000 in treatment.

The speed of expansion was limited primarily by lack of resources. Many of the worst criminals in the state have participated in this program and it has proven to be very successful.

Baja has had a history of severe violence in its prisons when attempts were made to reduce drug consumption through increased security and drug enforcement means. For this reason a different method to reduce drug usage inside the prison was needed. This was important in order to reduce the peripheral impact of those inmates outside the program had on those inmates participating in the program. A method using vitamin and mineral supplementation along with some other cutting edge withdrawal techniques were used prison-wide to reduce the demand by the drug consumer. Gradually over a period of months, by reducing the demand, security was increased and the majority of the prison was withdrawn from heroin usage.

The Second Chance Program is now expanding to other states in Mexico as well as to locations in the US.

A drug rehabilitation step is vital. The Narconon drug rehabilitation program, which was begun in 1965 in the Arizona State Prison by William Benetiz, has internationally shown excellent results in drug rehabilitation. Narconon, which currently operates private drug clinics in over 30 different countries, has a long-term success rate of better than 70%. Though starting out in a prison, by the mid 1970s the Narconon Program has only been delivered through private drug rehabilitation clinics. Now, through the Second Chance Program, this highly effective drug rehabilitation technology has been brought back to the unique prison environment.

The first step, which is completed in most cases in less than a week, is withdrawal from drugs using vitamins, minerals and specialized techniques to decrease the trauma associated with addictive drug withdrawal. Even heroin addicts experience little or no pain. Heroin, for example, pulls calcium from the bones and teeth. It also pulls it from the nerve sheathing. As the numbing effect of the heroin wears off, due to this shortage of calcium, the pain becomes intense. A special mixture of calcium and magnesium, in solution, rapidly replaces the calcium, thus lowering the usual trauma. In this way, no substitute drugs, with their harmful side effects, are needed.

Metabolites, the residue remaining in the body from the metabolism of drugs, store in the fat deposits. These create a "biochemical personality" in which the person has a tendency to be less honest, more violent, more criminal and as drug use continues have an increased craving to take more drugs. This results in a changing pattern of drug use of higher and higher doses and as well as the use of stronger drugs. The person is also more and more prone to criminal and other dangerous anti-social behavior.

The Drug Rehab Module includes a sauna-based body detoxification step. Niacin, balanced with other vitamins, is given daily. This combined with daily exercise mobilize the drug metabolites stored in the fat deposits. The sauna is used on a daily basis to aid in the elimination of the mobilized metabolites. In nearly every case by personal testimony, completing this regimen eliminates any craving to take more drugs. This is one of the key elements to the high success rate of the program.

Many inmates had trouble in school when it came to learning and then applying what they learned. The Education Module is essential if the inmate, upon release, is to be able to get a job and create income for himself using socially acceptable means. In this remedial education course he learns how to learn and apply what he learns. The Second Chance Program uses cutting-edge study technology from Applied Scholastics, International that has had tremendous success in schools and in business around the world. Companies such as Hewlett Packard use this technology to more rapidly train their staff to much higher levels of proficiency than previous education methods.

The Self-Respect Module is a value-based component that addresses personal ethics and the exact reason a person began his criminal activity.

Prisons and police alone cannot stop a person from being criminal, only that person himself can do that. While force can temporarily curb anti-social behavior, it has never been very successful in changing people’s minds. Often when the source of that force is removed, as when a person is released from incarceration, a person reverts to their old patterns of behavior.

It has been found that the point a person becomes criminal in their thinking and actions is the point they do something that results in their loss of self-respect. At that point they then begin to lose their self control, their responsibility for their own actions drops, they no longer trust themselves and this results in more and more criminal behavior.

This third module is designed to find that point the inmate lost his self-respect and help him to regain it. This module also gives the inmate tools to help him create a future for himself, as without the certainty a person can create a future for himself, he has nothing more to lose by being criminal.

Criminon International uses some of the technology in this module in over 300 prisons around the world.

Normally, the recidivism rate in the Ensenada Prison is around 70% within the first year after release with a statewide average of 83%. According to a two-year report by CETYS university, in the first two years, a total of 192 inmates had completed some part of the Second Chance Program before release. For those who have completed the first month of the program before release, the normal recidivism rate of 70% dropped to less than 10%. For those who completed two months of the program, the recidivism dropped to less than 5%. If they were in the program at least four months, the recidivism rate dropped even further.

A four and a half-year report by the University of Baja California shows that during that time period 1460 inmates participated in the Second Chance Program. Of those, 1006 were released. For those who participated in the initial rehabilitation steps, the recidivism rate was again less than 10%. If they completed approximately 3 months of the program, the recidivism rate dropped to approximately 5%.

A six-year report from the University of Baja California shows that during that time period approximately 3,500 inmates participated in the Second Chance Program and of those 1,682 were released. For those who participated in the initial rehabilitation steps, the recidivism rate was again less than 10%. For those who completed the program, the recidivism rate decreased to 8.75%. For those who completed the advanced steps of the program, usually taking less than a year, the recidivism rate decreased to less than 2%. This study demonstrates the consistency of the Second Chance Program’s results.

The Second Chance Program has reduced violence in the prison, reduced substance abuse by the inmates, lowered criminal recidivism and has had a significant impact on the crime rate in the community, thereby providing an effective social solution.

By reducing the recidivism rate at a cost far less than the cost of housing an inmate for a year, this program also provides a clearly effective economic solution.

In 1996, SCP began developing a crime prevention program in the Tijuana schools. The initial pilot was done with the Tijuana Police Academy. In 1997, the development of the Program was completed with the Mexicali Police Department.

The program is called the "L.I.V.E. Program-Learning Integrity and Values through Education." To date approximately 75,000 school children have participated in this program.

The Psychology Dept. at CETYS University jointly with the Criminology Society of Baja California tested 3,000 of the children before and after the Program. The tests were designed to measure changes in attitudes connected with criminal behavior. Just over 79% showed a positive change away from attitudes connected with criminal behavior.

School directors have noted a drop in campus violence, graffiti and gang activity since the implementation of the L.I.V.E. Program.