The Way to Happiness Foundation Engages Correctional Professionals Nationwide to Foster Values-Based Change

FORT WORTH, TX, UNITED STATES, June 22, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Way To Happiness Foundation recently participated in the 2025 American Jail Association (AJA) Conference in Fort Worth, Texas, joining over 900 professionals from law enforcement, corrections, and jail management. Among more than 200 industry organizations exhibiting at the event—which focused on innovations to address urgent issues facing America's correctional system.

The Foundation's participation comes at a critical time for America's correctional system. With two-thirds of released inmates re-arrested within three years and 82% within ten years, the need for effective rehabilitation has never been more urgent. At an annual cost of over $31,000 per inmate—roughly $260 per taxpayer each year—traditional incarceration approaches are both expensive and ineffective.

The Way to Happiness offers a proven, cost-effective alternative by addressing the root causes of criminal behavior. The program's foundation, The Way to Happiness: A Common Sense Guide to Better Living, provides 21 practical precepts including "Do not do things to others that you would not want them to do to you" and "Try to treat others as you would want them to treat you." These principles help transform hostile jail environments by fostering respect, personal responsibility, and nonviolence—directly reducing tensions between inmates and staff while helping offenders develop the ethical foundation needed for successful reintegration into society.

“Law enforcement professionals work tirelessly to protect and serve our communities by ensuring public safety and correctional officers play a vital role in our justice system to ensure the safe and secure operation of correctional facilities but the system still lacks a tool to restore moral strength at the individual level,” said Alpers. “The Way to Happiness is that tool. It builds self-respect and personal accountability—the foundation of lasting reform.”

In Mexico, over 60% of federal correctional institutions have adopted the program, with support from social reformer Rosalba Cordero. Recent studies have shown a 12.5% reduction in physical violence within Mexican prisons where conditions and programs like The Way to Happiness have been implemented. Hundreds of thousands of booklets have been distributed throughout Mexico’s prison system, contributing to this significant decrease in violence and improved inmate morale. “We saw inmates begin to smile again, reconnect with their families, and take pride in change,” said one official interviewed.

“Helping someone change begins by showing them they can” said Gladys Sanduke, President of The Way to Happiness Dallas Chapter. “We look forward to working directly with the Texas sheriff’s departments to educate inmates using this program and help them rebuild their lives with dignity.”

By offering a clear, values-based path to change, The Way to Happiness campaign helps restore the dignity and self-respect so many inmates have lost. While no program can solve every problem, when supported by caring leadership, this approach eases many of the challenges faced inside and beyond prison walls. The result is a stronger foundation for lasting personal transformation that benefits not only the individual but their families and communities as well.

The Way to Happiness, written by humanitarian and author, L. Ron Hubbard, has now reached over 140 million copies, translated into 126 languages, and distributed in 190 countries. Its precepts are currently applied in schools, correctional institutions, law enforcement training, and community rebuilding initiatives.

Resource Kit: https://www.thewaytohappiness.org/request-info/restoring-self-respect-resource-kit.html

Ludwig Alpers
The Way to Happiness Foundation
+1 818-402-3218
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Try to treat others as you would want them to treat you