7 of 10 people who have been a victim of crime support prevention over incarceration.
Your donation changes lives and lowers crime
Our goal is to serve those who want to change their lives – and by doing so, improve the lives of their families and their communities. By helping even one person live a law-abiding and productive life, we’re able to positively impact those they love and with whom they interact. This has a profound effect which reaches far outside their immediate lives.
The effect on the sons and daughters of our students is profoundly moving. The presence of a loving and involved parent brings the spirit of these children alive again – the pain of loss, shame and fear is replaced by joy, curiosity, and well-being. Children feel safe enough to play again, begin to excel in school, and have a positive role model to emulate.
Ascend Increases Public Safety
Our 75% success rate means that 7 out of 10 offenders who graduate from Ascend are no longer committing crimes and endangering the lives and property of our citizens.
Everyone is aware our system is broken. Criminals are arrested and sent through a ‘revolving door’ back to the street, where they re-offend, until they end up in an overcrowded prison system. Wouldn’t it be better to stop the cycle of crime?
One in five of us has been the victim of crime in the past five years. Nearly all of us know someone who has been a victim of crime. None of us wants to live in fear for our safety. Some of us have friends or relatives who have been involved in criminal behavior – and wish there was a way to help them lead law-abiding and productive lives.
The criminal justice policy advocacy group Californians for Justice and Safety commissioned a survey of crime victims in 2013. One of the most surprising finds of the survey is that seven in ten who have been a victim of crime support directing resources to crime prevention versus incarceration. Why? The overwhelming response was that incarceration and punishment alone simply don’t work.
Our program works. Wouldn’t you feel safer knowing that 7 out of 10 criminal offenders were no longer a danger and that even the remaining 3 of the 10 were making progress toward better decision-making and a crime-free life ?
Ascend Saves Taxpayers Money
Our current criminal system costs taxpayers a huge amount of money every year. From the cost of investigating crime, to public defenders, to the enormous cost of prison, we are all paying -and nearly 70% of those who go through the ‘system’ re-offend.
In comparison, our program has a direct cost/benefit advantage – the costs associated with our curriculum not only result in a 75% success rate, but once graduated, those offenders no longer drain the system – they contribute to it in the form of income taxes as gainfully employed citizens.
The cost of incarceration is staggering when viewed in total. Property loss, personal injury, the cost of arrest, booking, trials, sentencing, housing and probation add up to billions of dollars a year funded by your taxes. Ascend provides successful outcomes by stopping people from re-offending, which stops the waste of your tax dollars on a broken system. We operate on small government contracts, and YOUR donations.
Most Importantly, Ascend stops the cycle of generational criminal behavior. When our graduates’ children look up to them and say ‘I want to be just like you, Dad’ they can be proud, knowing their son or daughter has a real chance to enjoy a happy and meaningful life.
Since our inception in 2011, we’ve helped 125 criminal offenders become law-abiding, productive citizens who contribute to society in a positive way.
700,000 people will be released from prison in the United States this year! Imagine how it would transform our country – our lives – if a program like Ascend could help 525,000 of those stop re-offending.
WITH YOUR HELP, we can meet our goal of helping to get the Ascend program to everyone who needs it. We want to be the catalyst that changes our failed system to one that works – saving tax dollars, improving safety, and helping to make it possible for the next generation to reach their potential!