Need Letters of Support to Save Chino Prison Marine Technology Training Rehab Program

Hello Everyone, I am trying to get the word out about the threat of closure of the Marine Technology Training Program at the Chino Prison. I believe the diving community will appreciate the value of this program and be open to providing letters of support. As a Psychiatrist, Referral Physician for D.A.N., someone who has dived around the world for the past 20 years, and a Producer of Underwater Documentaries, I feel very strongly about how the underwater world can transform people's lives. I have been working on a documentary for the past several years now about the Chino Prison Marine Technology Training Program, which is a rehab program that trains inmates to become Deep Sea Commercial Divers. It is the most successful rehab program out there in that it has a 5% recidivism rate compared to 75% recidivism rate for all other parolees-- and it saves our state 2.5 million dollars a year and costs less than $300k to run. From a Psychiatric perspective it works for many reasons, it provides the adrenaline rush these men need, it allows them to make serious income once they parole and get employed, and it provides them with a healthy, solid brotherhood, that of being a Commercial Diver. They have no need to return to crime for that adrenaline rush, the money, or the camaraderie of the criminal world. Being an active member of the Scuba Diving World and having spoken to many Dive Companies, I know first hand that the graduates of the MTTC Program are amongst the most respected in the Commercial Diving Industry with regard to the breadth and depth of their training. Presently this Rehab Program is under threat of closure. They need letters of support to help to keep it open. The letters need to be emailed or mailed by next Tuesday, November 13th when a meeting will be held to determine the fate of the program. Even if you are not a California Resident, your support can be helpful. Please help by filling in your name and address on the attached from letter and email it to: Matthew Cate Secretary California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation 1515 S Street, Room 113S Sacramento, CA 95814 Matt.cate@cdcr.ca.gov, cc. Charles Pattillo General Manager California Prison Industry Authority 560 East Natoma Street Folsom, CA. 95630-2200 chuckpattillo@pia.ca.gov It would be great if you would copy and paste the letter into an email to Governor Jerry Brown too! You can do that through this link: http://gov.ca.gov/m_contact.php I truly thank you all for your support! For more information about the Chino Prison MarineTechnology Program, visit the following links: Article about Recent Death of the Founder of the Program, Leonard Greenstone: http://articles.latimes.com/2012/oct/31/local/la-me-leonard-greenstone-2... California Prison Industry Authority Website: http://calpia.ca.gov/Inmate_Development/MarineTech.html The Program's founder Leonard Greenstone just recently died at the age of 88. I am hoping that his dream, this program, doesn't die with him. To learn more about and view the trailer for our Documentary that is in Development with PBS at this time, you can go to this link: http://dunnmedia.ca/?page_id=729 I am the originator of the project which was optioned by Kevin Dunn Productions and Big Red Barn Productions. Sincerely, Debra Hill, M.D. Here is the Form Letter that you can make use of: Name:__________________________ Street Address:__________________________ City, State, Zip__________________________ T __________________ F __________________ Email:__________________ Home URL:__________________ November 10, 2012 Matthew Cate Secretary California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation 1515 S Street, Room 113S Sacramento, CA 95814 Dear Mr. Cate, I recently learned that the Chino Prison Marine Technology Training Program is under threat of closure. I also understand that the graduates of the program have less than 5% recidivism rate compared to a 75% recidivism rate for other paroles, and therefore saves the State of California $2,500,000 in recidivism costs! The program costs less than $300,000 per year to operate. I am writing to endorse the continuation of the Chino Prison Marine Technology Training Program. It is the one Rehab Program that is turning around criminals’ lives more permanently, and it makes huge financial sense. Sincerely yours, cc: Charles Patillo, General Manager, California Prison Industry Authority, 560 East Natoma Street, Folsom, CA 95630-2200, Fred Johnson, Instructor, MTTC Program, California Institute for Men, 14091 S. Central Ave., PO Box 1013, Chino CA 91710 Governor Jerry Brown, c/o State Capitol, Suite 1173, Sacramento, CA 95814 -- Debra A. Hill, MD Diplomate American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology Private Practice in Laguna Hills & Newport Beach Tel: 949-833-7998 FAX: 949-305-1479 www.drdebrahillmd.com and Executive Producer Oceanvideo Productions: DIVE IN TV Series 24891 Sausalito Laguna Hills, CA 92653 Tel: 714-308-0282 FAX: 949-305-1479 email: debra@divein.tv www.divein.tv