Northern State Prison staff members who have helped to coordinate the launch of the Fresh Start Therapeutic Communities Program include (from left) Mario Vierra, program development specialist; Emmanuel Awa, substance abuse counselor: and Senior Correction Officer Alfred Ruela, housing officer.

Senior Correction Officer Alfred Ruela noticed a confrontation between a pair of residents of the Minimum Unit-2 at Northern State Prison in Newark, and he prepared to intervene. However, it turned out that his intervention wasn't necessary. The two men worked out their differences with words and not fists.

Not coincidentally, both individuals are part of the Fresh Start Therapeutic Communities Program, which was launched March 4 at Northern.

Count Ruela among the believers.

"To be honest, my co-workers and I didn't know if the program would work," he admitted, "but it certainly seems to have had a positive effect. The confrontation I witnessed was a perfect example. The residents are communicating better. They're getting along. When there is a disagreement, it's verbal, not physical. I've been impressed."

The program is a collaborative effort between the New Jersey Department of Corrections' Office of Community and Drug Programs and the custody and civilian staffs at Northern, as well as Correctional Medical Services, which provides healthcare to correctional institutions across the United States.

Prior to its launch, all staff members affiliated with the program attended a training session.

"This way," said Sgt. William Davis, supervisor of the unit, "we saw how things were going to work and had a knowledge of what we should expect."

Fresh Start, which can accommodate up to 96 inmates, is the first program of its kind for minimum custody male offenders in a New Jersey Department of Corrections facility. In the past, Therapeutic Communities programs have been offered exclusively to medium custody male offenders.

"These are individuals who want to change their lives for the better, so let's give them the tools," said Alfaro Ortiz, Northern administrator, who noted that approximately 80 percent of those in the state's offender population are incarcerated directly or indirectly as a result of substance abuse. "It's a matter of acknowledging that a problem exists and attacking it at ground zero."

According to a charismatic program instructor who simply goes by the name of Salih, offenders typically begin buying into the recovery process once they realize they can never be comfortable continuing the kind of behavior that landed them in prison in the first place.

Salih should know. He previously spent 22 years in prison and more than four years in prison-based treatment programs.

"I have an understanding of what they're going through and how they think," he said. "Our job is to get these guys to realize what a serious impact this program can have on them. The key is getting them to change their mentality, their whole frame of reference. It's really a difficult thing to do. It's intense, and there's a lot of information to process, but it can be done. I'm proof of that."

In front of an audience of offenders, Salih's delivery is a cross between Jesse Jackson and Allen Iverson. His lectures include rapid-fire exchanges with residents, role playing and frequent references to the inspirational messages that adorn the walls.

At the conclusion of the session, the inmates rise and recite the "House Creed" in unison.

Here in my home, with the help of my family, I will gain the strength to put my life together again.
I know it will be painful, because facing myself is not easy.
At times, I will want to run, but fear will not contain my life any longer.
I'll accept responsibility for who I am, because only I can change the future.
With the help of my family, I will use the tools of honesty, trust, friendship and openness. I will build a new me and serve as a model for all of the lonely, frightened people who come to live in my home.

"By the time we finish," Salih said, smiling broadly, "I can feel the energy in the room."

So can Eduardo Caceras, who related that "a lot of the things Salih says, I really feel like he's talking to me."

Added Caceras: "I've been in and out of prison, and after a while, you get tired of it. This program emphasizes a lot of positive things, things I need to address in my life. Now, for the first time, I feel as if I'm in a position to make better choices. Going back out into society without going through a structured program like this is really hard, so I'm grateful for this opportunity.

"More than anything, I want to change. I have a 5-year-old daughter at home, and she needs me."