Choose Love for Corrections

Choose Love programming to improve residents’ relationships with each other, their families, and communities to better prepare them for reentry.

Corrections

Choose Love is committed to uplifting the lives of all those involved in the Department of Corrections.

The New Hampshire Department of Corrections (NHDOC) took the bold step in the Fall of 2021 to pilot Choose Love programming to improve residents’ relationships with each other, their families, and communities to better prepare them for reentry.

The program has run four times to date at the women’s and men’s facilities in New Hampshire and is expanding with waiting lists for participation.

An outcome we are particularly excited about is the elevation of the conversations inmates are now having with their families holding the promise to further elevate outcomes upon release and with future generations.

The program includes:

  • Kickoff session led by Scarlet Lewis, founder of Choose Love
  • 6-12-week program for residents (15 in the men’s workshops and 15 in the women’s)
  • Incarcerated residents were trained to lead and facilitate the sessions with their peers
  • 1.5 day pre-training for correctional officers and staff
  • Ongoing guidance and assistance for administrative staff
  • Observation of and regular feedback to facilitators
  • Created adaptations for use in transitional housing
  • Graduation ceremony with keynote from Scarlet Lewis

 

CAST Partners with New Hampshire Prisons to Apply UDL to “Choose Love” Curriculum

Check out this article on www.cast.org – talking about the partnership between CAST and Choose Love in creating powerful programs for correctional facilities.

Nicholas Duffy, Director of Rehabilitation Services for the New Hampshire Department of Corrections, knew the value Choose Love could bring to those incarcerated in New Hampshire’s prison facilities, but needed help adjusting the curriculum to be flexible and barrier-free for adult learners with diverse backgrounds, skills, and educational experiences. After working with CAST on other projects, Duffy says his request was met with enthusiasm.

“We’ve sort of skipped over teaching social emotional learning as a society,” Duffy says. “We assume people have these skills, however I have sat in on the Choose Love Trainings and have learned from it every time. Participants learn growth mindset and how their body reacts to different situations, how to apologize, how to forgive. Learning these skills is extremely important.

Read more …

Testimonials

Helen Hanks
New Hampshire Commissioner of Corrections

"We chose Choose Love because Scarlett Lewis’ message is so profoundly aligned to the students we serve within our correctional system… The men and women who have participated in the program state that it is “life changing.” It is an educational opportunity that has altered their mindset toward the possible and the positive."

Nick Duffy
New Hampshire Director of Rehabilitation Services for the Department of Corrections

“It’s not easy to implement quality programming in a prison setting, however it’s a credit to such talented partners as Choose Love and CAST, who ensured the program was specifically designed with the incarcerated population in mind and our NHDOC staff who have shown such dedication and commitment to take the information from the trainings and implement the program so effectively. It’s been a great project that is going to have a profound impact on the participants and how we facilitate programming, I’m grateful we were able to partner with such talented people to help us launch it."

Choose Love is pleased to be partnering with CAST in serving the Corrections population. CAST is a multifaceted organization with a singular ambition to break the barriers to learning that millions of people experience every day by applying leading-edge practices to educational design and implementation.

Interested in Learning More?

The Choose Love Movement and CAST are currently seeking partners to expand on the initial findings and success of the program, bringing it to other sites and states. For more information please contact Shannon Desilets, at Shannon.M.Desilets@dhhs.nh.gov

Shannon is the Governor-appointed Program Director of the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement for the state of New Hampshire.