Rick Pendery - New Drug Rehab Model Used in Second Chance Program in Albuquerque

A new drug rehabilitation program that uses long-term nutritional and sauna-based detoxification – with no alternative drugs – is achieving high success statistics in a prison setting. Run by Rick Pendery, the national executive director of the Second Chance Centers, and Joy Westrum, the president of the Second Chance Program, the program has been running for several months in a secure setting in Albuquerque, NM.

Westrum explains that the purpose of the program is to “provide secure, long-term rehabilitation for substance abusers in the criminal justice system, and then to transition them back into society so they can lead a stable life free of crime and drugs. The program includes the administration of vitamins and mineral supplements twice a day, drills designed to extrovert the inmate’s attention, and physical techniques designed to decrease the physical trauma of withdrawal that are administered by other inmates. The entire process is supervised by a staff member trained in the process.”

This long-term detoxification process has been used throughout the world, not only to assist people in getting off drugs, but also to remove chemicals and other toxins from the system. For example, it was used by the New York Fire Department and others who worked at Ground Zero after the disaster of 9/11.

“When the person has completed the long-term detox, the metabolic residuals from years of substance abuse are eliminated from the body. We have found that the detox measurably decreases the craving to take more drugs,” Pendery explains. “The also appear more healthy, as witnessed by physical indicators, such as improved skin tone and clear eyes, as well as social indicators like higher activity levels, better communication skills, and so forth.”

Those on the program also engage in what are called Therapeutic Training Routines, which are known to increase the inmate’s attention and awareness of his present environment, raise his ability to comfortably confront others and examine his own life, and raise his ability to give and receive communication. In the process, the inmate’s level of responsibility, ability to gain control over his emotions, ability to control others, and willingness to be controlled also increase.

“These routines consist of actual communication drills that were developed by L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of a newly recognized religion called Scientology,” explains Pendery. “Second Chance is a secular program that uses protocol-based research from Mr. Hubbard, but Second Chance is non-religious by nature and is not part of the Church of Scientology. Developing better communication skills, eliminating toxins stored in the body, and learning tools that more effectively help someone learn and apply what they learn are examples of some of these protocols. Our center provides Sunday Catholic and Protestant services, and practices an official policy of respecting the religious beliefs of others. The inmates here are encouraged to pray, read the Bible, meditate, or take part in any religious activity.”

Concludes Pendery, “The results of this part of our program really pull the individual out of his ‘drug life.’ The remaining steps help stabilize him so he can successful reintegrate into society.”

Kent McGregor, previously the Director of Substance Abuse for New Mexico and later a Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities Certifier, has acted as a consultant for the Second Chance Program. He outlined how the various parts of the Second Chance Program fall within what is considered to be the best practice in substance abuse treatment, saying, “The Second Chance program uses a holistic approach of exercise combined with the use of nutrients to replace metabolic deficiencies. They use a sauna/nutritional detoxification therapy that reduces the burden of toxic body metabolites. They additionally use motivational interviews, contingency management, community reinforcement therapy all combined into a successful matrix model in a social detox therapeutic community environment.