Choose Love for Corrections
A Transformative Approach to Rehabilitation
What is the Choose Love for Corrections Program?
Choose Love for Corrections is a comprehensive program designed to instill the Choose Love principles of Courage, Gratitude, Forgiveness and Compassion in Action among incarcerated individuals.
By focusing on character social and emotional development, the program equips participants with essential life skills that encourage personal growth and positive behavior changes.
For more information on pricing, how to get involved or to support the Choose Love for Corrections program, please contact Shannon Desilets, Program Director of Choose Love for Corrections at: shannon@jesselewischooselove.org
Choose Love for Corrections Podcast
New Hampshire Correctional Facility for Women
Miami North Community Release Center - Garry Tucker
New Hampshire State Prison for Men
Core Principles of the Program
Transform Relationships
Participants learn to become more self-aware and to understand the perspective of others. This fosters deeper connections, reduces conflict within facilities, as well as promotes healthier engagement with loved ones / family members.
Reduce Anger and Resentment
The program emphasizes the importance of letting go of past grievances, allowing individuals to move forward without the burden of anger or resentment.
Focus on the Positive
Cultivating a sense of appreciation helps individuals focus on the positive aspects of their lives, promoting a more optimistic outlook.
Supportive Communities
By encouraging acts from a place of of kindness and understanding, the program nurtures a supportive community among participants.
Benefits of the Program
Safer Communities
Addressing the root causes of criminal behavior, the Choose Love for Corrections program aims to reduce the likelihood of re-offending, ultimately leading to safer communities.
Improved Mental Health
Participants often report enhanced mental well-being, reduced anxiety, and increased self-esteem as they engage with the program’s teachings.
Stronger Relationships
The focus on understanding, perspective, and compassion helps individuals rebuild relationships with themselves, family members, and peers, an essential part of successful rehabilitation and reintegration.
Opportunities for Prison Staff
Staff learn the program and thereby enhance their overall wellbeing, as well as creating an environment of reduced stress on prison staff through the adoption of the Choose Love for Corrections program.
Essential Life Skills
This program teaches essential life skills necessary for healthier relationships, as well as employability skills for successful reintegration.
Implementation in Correctional Facilities
The Choose Love for Corrections program is implemented through peer facilitated group discussions, and interactive activities that engage participants in meaningful ways. Trained facilitators guide individuals through the curriculum, ensuring that each participant feels valued and heard.
Choose Love for Corrections is more than just a program; it's a movement towards healing, understanding, and transformation within the correctional system.
Participant Testimonials
Choosing Love has taught me I can correct myself in a positive way, where I came into prison hating myself. It helped me have more appreciation towards life.
It taught me forgiveness of others and forgiving myself, which was so hard to do, but also love, compassion, understanding, and taking responsibility. I've hurt many people and also got hurt by many people, and I've forgiven them and myself. It touched me deep within. I've also learned to celebrate life instead of mourning it. I just wish I had learned all this before the date of the crime.
...Your example of what can rise of choosing love is inspiring and has made us all recalibrate our minds and hearts. We now pause and step back, asking ourselves, what happened to someone instead of asking what's wrong with them.
Choose Love has taught us to be grateful and self-aware. Being grateful has been a struggle for some but when embraced, it has positive ripple effects that ultimately lead to positive outcomes.
Choose Love opened my eyes to be more positive, to forgive myself, to listen to others, and to be more self-aware of how your actions affect you and others around you.
It has helped me to realize that most of us, regardless of our crimes, are carrying similar weight and this group helped us all by allowing us to open up, console, and nurture each other in a way I have never experienced. I hope this program continues to change lives the way it has changed mine.
The Choose Love for Corrections program first launched at the NH Correctional Facility for Women in 2021 and then at the NH State Prison for Men in 2022.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the New Hampshire Department of Corrections team. Through Commissioner Helen Hanks’ leadership and vision, the NHDOC is leading the nation in Choose Love for Corrections. Her passion for fostering positive change within the corrections system has inspired countless individuals and is paving the way to a brighter future.
A special thank you also to Director Nicholas Duffy, for his tireless dedication and unwavering commitment to advancing this program. He has championed the core values of Choose Love and has also empowered others to embrace these principles in their work. Thank you, to the New Hampshire DOC administration, staff, and Choose Love facilitators and participants, for your invaluable contributions and for being a beacon of hope and transformation!
