Protect the H.O.N.O.R. Program: Support Rehabilitation, Accountability, and Public Safety in Connecticut.

 

Petition Statement:

The H.O.N.O.R. Program at Cheshire Correctional Institution is a proven, incarcerated-led rehabilitation initiative that is currently at risk of being restricted or dismantled.

We, the undersigned, call on the Connecticut Department of Correction, state legislators, and community leaders to take immediate action to protect and formally support this program before its impact is lost.

 

About the Program:

H.O.N.O.R. (Honesty, Ownership, Nobility, Obligation, Respect) is a peer-led initiative focused on accountability, personal growth, and rehabilitation.

For over three years, the program has positively impacted more than 100 incarcerated individuals by helping participants:

• Improve behavior 

• Address trauma 

• Build life skills 

• Prepare for successful reentry into society

Participants report increased accountability, stronger decision-making, and a more positive environment within the facility

 

Current Concerns:

Despite its success, the H.O.N.O.R. Program is facing increasing restrictions due to administrative limitations and lack of formal recognition, with no publicly documented safety justification.

Reported concerns include:

• Limited access to movement and programming time 

• Barriers to participation outside standard schedules 

• Administrative policy changes restricting when and how programming can occur 

• Efforts to scale back or weaken the program under general “safety and security” justifications

 

Participants continue to demonstrate a deep commitment to personal growth, even while navigating significant barriers—including heightened security procedures and restrictive conditions, simply for the opportunity to learn, grow, and prepare for life beyond incarceration.

In addition, during the course of advocacy efforts related to a separate petition at the same facility, there have been reported inconsistencies and delays in communication and visitation processes. While unrelated to the H.O.N.O.R. Program itself, these experiences contribute to a broader understanding of how access and engagement with programming and communication are structured within the facility.

Taken together, these factors raise broader concerns about the accessibility and sustainability of rehabilitative programming within the institution.

 

Why This Matters:

Programs like H.O.N.O.R. are essential to public safety and successful reentry. They:

• Promote accountability and personal responsibility 

• Contribute to reduced disciplinary issues within facilities 

• Provide structure, purpose, and peer support 

• Offer a constructive alternative to violence, substance abuse, and idleness 

• Operate with minimal cost while delivering meaningful benefits 

When rehabilitation programs are supported, communities are safer.

We Call for Immediate Action

We urge Connecticut officials to:

• Grant formal recognition of the H.O.N.O.R. Program as an approved Offender Accountability Program 

• Ensure consistent access to programming time and appropriate space 

• Allow participants to attend and facilitate programming during appropriate hours 

• Provide appropriate oversight or volunteer support to strengthen program structure 

• Protect the program from arbitrary restriction or dismantling through formal policy or legislation

 

Community Involvement & Transparency:

We encourage legislators, advocates, and community stakeholders to observe the program firsthand by coordinating a visit through Cheshire Correctional Institution. We further respectfully request that interested parties be permitted to engage in direct communication with a founding member of the H.O.N.O.R. Program, Inmate Luis Santana (#295682), in order to gain firsthand insight into the program’s development, objectives, and rehabilitative outcomes.

 

For additional information, you may request those who excelled through this program and are no longer incarcerated.  Please feel free to contact me to reach them. My email is consistentlyme92@gmail.com 

 

 

Closing Statement:

The H.O.N.O.R. Program represents what rehabilitation is supposed to look like: accountability, growth, and real change from within.

Undermining programs like this does not improve safety, it weakens it.

When rehabilitation works, communities benefit. When it is taken away, everyone pays the price

 

PLEASE* sign this petition to protect rehabilitation, support second chances, and strengthen public safety in Connecticut!