Criminon:
Leaving Crime Behind &
Gaining Real Self-Respect

Creating safe communities by teaching offenders and at-risk individuals to lead productive, crime-free lives in their communities. Watch this video to see what experienced corrections officials and Criminon program graduates say about the program.

“The rehabilitative technology employed by Criminon offers the only truly workable means to handle the increasingly burdensome criminal populations.”

What Is Criminon?

Criminon—meaning “without crime”—is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to criminal rehabilitation and reform. Criminon accomplishes its work by providing services designed to improve self-respect and relationship skills and to break destructive habits. Criminon programs teach basic life skills to inmates and ex-offenders, enabling them to become ethical and productive members of their communities and lead better lives.

The Criminon Florida Center is located in Clearwater, Florida, and serves as headquarters for an army of volunteers who coordinate and supervise programs to help offenders across Florida and the Eastern United States restore their self-respect and return to society as responsible members of the community.

Drawing upon Mr. Hubbard’s investigations of subjects, including ethics, study, social and antisocial behavior, and criminality, Criminon programs give inmates, ex-offenders, and at-risk youth an opportunity to restore their personal integrity and essential goodness. Along the way, they gain certainty that they can make worthwhile contributions to others.

The power of this approach—and the depth of the opportunity that a fixation on punishment can destroy—is captured in the statement of a graduate: “I spent five years in solitary confinement, completely isolated from others. I vowed, if I got out, I would do only good and no drugs. It was there I began my search for truth and discovered the works of L. Ron Hubbard. In his writings, I found my stone of hope and began my descent off the mountain of despair. It was there I began to live. As a student of Criminon, you can follow in my footsteps by applying the knowledge within each Criminon course and experience the same rebirth I did. Today, I am married with two children, a CEO, working with betterment groups—including Criminon—and helping others improve their conditions in life.”

Originally established in New Zealand in 1972, Criminon has been delivering courses and workshops to inmates and to clients and staff involved in the correctional system in the United States since 1989 and is today headquartered in Los Angeles, California.

More than 5,000 inmates participate in Criminon courses each week across more than 800 correctional facilities.

Criminon programs offer:

  • Ex-offender reentry and mentoring programs
  • In-prison transitional programs geared towards life skills and job readiness
  • Programs for at-risk youth and juvenile offenders
  • Onsite and correspondence courses for incarcerated individuals
“The reformation or reclamation of the criminal does not depend upon punishment… but upon the reestablishment of the criminal’s self-respect.”
—L. Ron Hubbard

How Do I Get Involved with Criminon?

Criminon is a nonprofit, public benefit organization that is supported by donations and grants and the work of a corps of volunteers. Our groups provide assistance and training to volunteers, government agencies and private organizations in addition to correspondence courses for those currently incarcerated.

You can get involved by sponsoring an inmate through a financial donation, or you can donate your time by becoming a Criminon volunteer. If there is no Criminon chapter in your region, you can apply to start a Criminon activity. You can purchase Criminon materials through our online store.

Criminon also partners with government agencies, correctional institutions and corrections professionals, offering training programs to staff as well as police forces to assist them in creating a safe environment where they are able to do their jobs and also help in the rehabilitation process for those within the system.

For more information about partnering with Criminon, volunteering or starting a Criminon activity, fill out the form below.

Criminon News

Read stories of hope and rehabilitation from Criminon programs worldwide and stay informed about current correctional rehabilitation news.

Out of a Mountain of Despair, a Stone of Hope: A Former Inmate’s Story of Transformation

Read Danny's story, a former inmate whose life was transformed through Criminon's educational …

Criminon Florida Ushers in 2024 with Renewed Hope for Second Chances

Criminon Florida enters 2024 celebrating over 30 years of transforming lives in the prison system. …

Breaking the Cycle: The Role of Education in Prison Rehabilitation

Educational programs in prisons have proven to significantly reduce recidivism and aid in successful …