Accountability.
Bridges to Life, a nonprofit restorative-justice program operating in Texas prisons, reports that 89% of its graduates do not return to prison within three years after release.
The organization’s representative Christine Hanks told KBTX in March 2026 that its reported three-year recidivism rate is 11%. Bridges to Life also publishes the 89% figure on its program-impact page.
Program structure
The volunteer-led program runs for 14 weeks. Its curriculum covers accountability, forgiveness, repentance, faith and the effects of crime on victims. Participants ultimately write letters to victims and family members, although those letters are not necessarily delivered.
TDCJ reported in December 2025 that Bridges to Life was active in 85 of the agency’s 101 units. The nonprofit says its work has reached more than 95,000 graduates since beginning in 1999.
How to read the statistic
The 89% figure is an outcome reported by Bridges to Life and should not be described as proof that the program alone caused every participant’s result. Recidivism measures depend on the population studied, comparison group and definition used—in this case, return to prison within three years.