MISSION & PURPOSE OF 12 STEPS TO FREEDOM

12 Steps to Freedom is a Christ-centered, volunteer-based recovery ministry serving incarcerated men and individuals transitioning back into the community. The program delivers a structured, biblically grounded 12-step recovery curriculum designed to address addiction, criminal thinking, unresolved trauma, and spiritual brokenness.

Through guided workbook exercises and group-based instruction led by trained volunteers, participants are guided through a process of honest self-examination, personal responsibility, emotional healing, freedom from addiction, and spiritual transformation through Jesus Christ. Rather than focusing solely on behavior modification, the program addresses the root causes of addiction and destructive behavior, equipping participants for lasting change and successful reentry.

12 Steps to Freedom is designed to complement — not replace — RSAT coursework, required institutional programming, or community-based recovery services. 

The purpose of the 12 Steps to Freedom Recovery Program is to help men confront the internal issues that contribute to addiction, criminal behavior, and repeated cycles of incarceration. The program creates a safe, structured environment where participants can examine their past, break patterns of denial, and begin building a new foundation for life rooted in truth, accountability, and faith.

 The 12 Steps to Freedom program is built on the belief that lasting recovery begins with honesty, humility, and surrender. Participants are encouraged to acknowledge their powerlessness, recognize that their lives have become unmanageable, and open themselves to spiritual renewal through Jesus Christ.

Through group-based instruction led by trained volunteers, participants are guided to:

• Examine personal history and experiences that shaped thinking and behavior
• Identify patterns of denial, avoidance, and self-deception
• Accept responsibility for personal choices and actions
• Recognize that their core problem was not other people, but themselves
• Discover hope, identity, and freedom through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ
  

Recovery is presented not merely as abstaining from substances, but as becoming a new person and learning how to live differently.

While 12 Steps to Freedom is not an RSAT-certified program and does not provide institutional credits or program points, it aligns with RSAT principles by:

• Addressing substance abuse and criminal thinking patterns
• Promoting accountability and personal responsibility
• Supporting cognitive, emotional, and spiritual growth
• Encouraging continuity of care from incarceration to community reentry
  

Participants leave equipped with practical tools they can continue using alongside required programming and after release.

 Participants who engage in the 12 Steps to Freedom program demonstrate:

• Increased self-awareness and personal accountability
• Reduced denial-based and victim-centered thinking
• A clearer understanding of addiction and its root causes
• Improved coping and decision-making skills
• A faith-based foundation for long-term recovery
  

Graduates are encouraged to “carry the light” by supporting others, modeling transformed lives, and breaking generational cycles of addiction and incarceration.

The 12 Steps to Freedom Recovery program is designed for sustainability and replication through standardized workbooks and instructor guides. This structure allows the program to be offered consistently across correctional facilities, transitional housing programs, churches, and community recovery settings while maintaining fidelity to the program’s mission and values.

12 Steps to Freedom is committed to serving correctional facilities, transitional housing programs, churches, and communities with integrity, humility, and respect for institutional structures. As a volunteer-based ministry, we seek to work cooperatively with existing programs while offering faith-centered recovery support rooted in biblical principles and personal accountability.