Bridges To Life restorative justice program receives national ACCA Award and reaches 25,000 offender graduates.

Online PR News � 25-August-2015 � Bridges To Life (BTL) was recently awarded the 2015 Judith Coleman Chaplaincy Offender Program Award by the American Correctional Chaplains Association (ACCA). This prestigious national award for Program of the Year is given in recognition to the chaplaincy program deemed most creative, effective, and outcome-based in the United States each year.

BTL is also proud to announce that the program celebrated its 25,000th offender graduate at the O.L. Luther Unit in Navasota, Texas. BTL volunteers, board members, staff, and guests heard memorable accounts of transformed lives as well as songs and poetry written to loved ones, and inspired by the Bridges To Life program.

BTL is grateful for the hard work of its volunteers and staff members that make healing for victims and offenders possible. Thousands of lives have changed for the better and communities continue to become safer places to live because of this restorative justice program.

"Thank you for the shoes of forgiveness that you walk in everyday of your life. You did not come to judge us, but to give us hope! Hope that we may earnestly desire to change and become better men for our families, society, and ourselves. You gave us hope in the futures that await us. Thank you!" 2015 BTL Graduate

About Bridges To Life
The Bridges To Life program, established in 1998, reduces crime by lowering the recidivism rate of the men and women offenders who complete the 14-week program. With the help of courageous victim volunteers, BTL accomplishes its goal of empowering victims and rehabilitating inmates. The program shows offenders the impact their actions have, not only on their families, but also on the families of the victims, their friends, and the community at large. Recent studies indicate a 14% recidivism rate for BTL graduates, compared to the national average of 38-40%. In 2015, BTL has scheduled 120 projects in 66 prisons and alternative facilities. With the help of over 550 volunteers, 4,600 inmates will graduate from the program this year. The program brings healing to victims of crime, reduces recidivism among offender graduates, makes our communities safer, and saves millions of dollars in reincarceration costs for taxpayers.