Along with exploring concepts from confession to restitution in our 14-week curriculum, offenders hear firsthand from victims of crime and face the true impact of criminal actions on others. Through this unique process, offenders experience a change of heart that allows them to make positive changes in their lives.
With the help of over 3,600 volunteers, Bridges To Life has worked in over 200 facilities and its curriculum has been used in 17 states and 7 foreign countries. In 2024, the Bridges To Life program will be conducted in over 110 prisons, juvenile, and alternative facilities with the assistance of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and other partners, with over 7,700 participants completing the program.
BTL works diligently to maintain the quality of our program and explore new opportunities for growth and expansion so that we may positively impact more lives and communities.
Bridges To Life (BTL) is a 14-week restorative justice program for incarcerated men and women focused on victim impact and facilitated by volunteers. The mission of BTL is to reduce recidivism among program graduates and helps make our communities safer. Over 82,000 offenders have graduated from Bridges To Life since its inception.
BTL promotes racial equity and diversity education through the format in which our program is conducted. When dividing a roster of participants into small groups of 10 participants each, BTL Regional Coordinators sort by race, crime of record, and age to guarantee that each small group includes the greatest diversity possible. Because of this process, interactions between volunteers and inmate participants, as well as inmate participants with one another, offer rich opportunities for equity training over the course of our 14-week program. Furthermore, prison wardens have given us feedback that BTL participants demonstrate better behavior after the program than non-participants, improving the culture and interracial interactions of the prison environment.
Organization name
Bridges To Life (BTL)
Causes
Justice-involved adults or youth
Operating Budget
$1,000,000 - $2,999,999
Counties Served
Dallas, Fannin, Johnson, Tarrant, Wise
BIPOC Serving
Black or African American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic or Latinx, Native American, Other
Equity Statement
Equity Statement
Address
PO Box 201204