​Bridges To Life

The 14-week Bridges To Life program is led by a team of volunteers who meet weekly with inmate participants inside the prison unit. In the small group format, volunteer facilitators lead participants through weekly topics in BTL's curriculum book Restoring Peace, such as Accountability, Confession, and Forgiveness. Facilitators encourage sharing and discussion during each session, forming a bond that grows from week to week. Participants also complete weekly homework assignments in the companion study guide, which include self-reflective questions for journaling and exploration. 

 

Key to BTL's impact is the utilization of crime victim stories, both in Restoring Peace and as presented by victim speakers on four occasions during each 14-week project. These spark empathy in offenders as they come to realize the ripple effect of crime on victims' families and communities. Another key component in the transformative BTL process is the sharing by each participant of their own personal story within their small group, taking responsibility for their past actions and choices to pave the way for a better future. 

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RESTORING PEACE: Using Lessons from Prison to Mend Broken Relationships 

Written by Kirk Blackard, this book is the core of the BTL program and lays out the journey that must be taken from Crime & Conflict to Restitution. Included throughout are the victim stories of real people, which teach the "ripple effect" of crime.

(English and Spanish available)

BRIDGES TO LIFE Study Guide

For the 14-week group study of Restoring Peace, program participants complete weekly homework and journal writing assignments in the BTL Study Guide that correlate with each chapter of the book.

(English and Spanish available)

BRIDGES TO LIFE Self-Study Guide

For individual study of Restoring Peace, the BTL Self-Study Guide provides self-reflective questions in the weekly homework and journal writing assignments that follow each chapter.

NURTURING PEACE: How Families Can Help Incarcerated Loved Ones Change Their Lives

This book was designed so that family members of participants in the BTL program can follow along with the Restoring Peace curriculum and support their loved one through the process.

MAKIN' IT, A STORY OF HOPE  (used in BTL Juvenile Program)

Utilizing a graphic novel format, Makin' It tells the story of Tony, a teenager dealing with his troubled life at home, school, and in the streets.

MAKIN' IT Study Guide (used in BTL Juvenile Program)

The companion study guide to Makin' It gives juveniles weekly homework assignments to complete as they work through the program.

BTL MEDIA DVD

The BTL program has been profiled on many news outlets and television programs; nine video clips are included on this DVD.