Scientology Lies

I have read the Second Chance brochure< available from their web site and relevant Scientology materials. I conclude there is strong evidence linking Second Chance with Scientology in matters of finance, practice, and staffing.

• The Second Chance brochure states that the program licenses material and implements "technology" from Narconon, Criminon, Applied Scholastics, and The Way to Happiness. All four have a subchapter in the church's official What Is Scientology? publication (Narconon<, Criminon<, Applied Scholastics<, ABLE<, Way to Happiness Foundation<). Narconon, Criminon, and Applied Scholastics are trademarks< of ABLE (the Association for Better Living and Education), which also gets a subchapter in What Is Scientology? The Way to Happiness is a trademark of the L. Ron Hubbard Library, an alter ego of the Church of Spiritual Technology<. ABLE, Narconon, Criminon, and The Way to Happiness Foundation received tax-exempt status< under the secret IRS settlement agreement with Scientology<; in that agreement, all four organizations were explicitly named "Scientology-related entities."< Licensing materials from these organizations likely involves a transfer of funds to Scientology entities.
• The Second Chance brochure lists Therapeutic Training Routines<, Ups and Downs in Life Course<, Personal Values and Integrity Course<, and Conditions in Life Course< as components of the program. These are Scientology courses, routinely delivered in Scientology churches.
• A Scientology magazine, Celebrity (issue 338), states that participants in Second Chance do the Purification Rundown<. Purification Rundown is a trademark owned by the Religious Technology Center<, a Scientology corporation; it is often the first Scientology service completed< by new members. It consists of sauna treatment, exercise, and vitamins<, all components described in the Second Chance brochure without using the name Purification Rundown.
• A 1999 edition of Impact, the official magazine of the International Association of Scientologists (IAS)<, reveals that Second Chance is a renamed Criminon program, funded by the IAS. It notes that inmates have become Ethics Officers< and Case Supervisors<, positions that involve administering Scientology practices.
• Narconon's teachings about the effects of drugs on the body have been debunked by the scientific community. Former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop said of one version of the program, "My recommendation about detoxification is to keep away from it."< The State of Oklahoma found "substantial credible evidence, as found by the Board, that the Narconon Program is unsafe and ineffective."< The California Superintendent of Schools told state schools to avoid free Narconon anti-drug programs< because their teachings were incorrect and unscientific.

Both Narconon facilities and Scientology organizations have a history of security problems, mistreatment of participants, and suspicious deaths.

• A woman sued a California Narconon facility, claiming she was sexually assaulted by a staff member<.
• Jocelyne Dorfmann died in a Narconon program in France<.
• Two young men in Italy died after Narconon treatment<.
• Scientology prohibits members from participating in psychiatric treatment and aims to eradicate all psychiatric practice<. When 28-year-old Scientologist Jeremy Perkins began manifesting signs of schizophrenia, his mother (also a Scientologist) refused to permit psychiatric treatment or evaluation<. Less than a year later, he killed her.
• The Scientology headquarters organization in Florida was charged with two felonies< in the death of Lisa McPherson<, a 36-year-old Scientologist. They had followed her to the hospital, refused to permit her psychiatric treatment, and held her against her will< for 17 days without adequate medical care. She died in their custody.
• A French Scientology executive went to prison for involuntary homicide< after a Scientologist there was driven to suicide<.
• Dozens of suspicious Scientology-related deaths< have been documented.

Finally, you may wish to be aware of the criminal actions of Scientology executives when considering whether Scientology-related organizations are New Mexico's best choices for conducting prisoner rehabilitation programs.

• Eleven top-ranking Scientology executives went to jail for obstructing justice, burglary of government offices, and theft of documents and government property<. This conspiracy was the single largest infiltration of the US government in history.
• In Canada, seven top Scientology officials were convicted of similar crimes, and two convictions were obtained against the organization itself<.
• In the past ten years, Scientology executives have been convicted of crimes in Greece, Italy, and France.
• In at least two cases, Scientology executives have forbidden parents to report the sexual abuse of their children to authorities.
• Scientology officials have attempted to frame perceived enemies, including a journalist<, a mayor<, and a key witness in a criminal case<.