EPP's Impact

Incarceration Statistics

People incarcerated for every 100,000 Americans

Dollars per day to keep a person locked up

Billion dollars spent on corrections

Percent of those released in 2004 re-incarcerated within three years

The United States has the highest rate of imprisonment in the world:

The United States has 5% of the world’s population yet incarcerates 25%
The total cost per year per resident of an institution in the U.S. averages $33,274
Total state spending on corrections is about $52 billion, the majority is on prisons.
Our prison population grew by 700% in 30 years in the U.S.

The EPP Solution

EPP’s approach to corrections teaches self-regulation through self-knowing. EPP focuses on the criminogenic nature of recidivism: antisocial attitudes, values and beliefs, low self-control, substance abuse, and dysfunctional family backgrounds. By learning their Enneagram personality type, and engaging in the deep work of self-study and self-regulation, our students can first understand, and then change antisocial attitudes, emotional outbursts, and ultimately risky behaviors.

THE PROOF
We are encouraged by the overwhelming receptivity to our program by both students and correctional staff. In November 2015, the institutions where EPP was programming, calculated a recidivism rate for our graduates of 5.35% in Santa Clara County jails and 10% in San Mateo County jails. Bolstered by this initial success with a relatively small population size, we have since sought to work with every population that was made available to us, including the following:

female/male
maximum, medium, and minimum security
gang populations
protective custody
those serving life sentences
transitional housing populations
reentry center
general population

EPP Founder Susan Olesek speaks with current ambassadors about how EPP has impacted their lives.

In this short clip, EPP Ambassador Dustin Baldwin, shares EPP's impact on his life.

... and in doing this we have

320

COURSES TAUGHT

3000

STUDENTS GRADUATED

7680

HOURS OF CLASSES TAUGHT

Stat Sources

“America’s overcrowded prisons: One nation, behind bars.” The Economist. 17 Aug. 2013. Web. 26 Aug. 2013.
Vera Institute of Justice, May 2017.
Pew Center on the States, State of Recidivism: The Revolving Door of America’s Prisons (Washington, DC: The Pew Charitable Trusts, April 2011).
Pew Center on the States, State of Recidivism: The Revolving Door of America’s Prisons (Washington, DC: The Pew Charitable Trusts, April 2011).

What we found is that the Enneagram “works” as a profound tool for human change. We continue to gather evidence to prove the efficacy of this tool as a means of personal transformation, lowering recidivism, and societal change.

EPP's In-custody Self-Awareness Training is one of San Quentin's most popular programs

"San Quentin is a leader in (in-custody) education and support activities for inmates. The Enneagram Prison Project is one of the most popular programs in San Quentin as inmates share their new insight into their behavior with others and address such issues as anger, self-esteem, and empathy. Enneagram Prison Project has become one of the outstanding providers of opportunity for positive change.

The program is expanding and many of the inmates involved continue to become Peer Facilitators giving an honest, credible insight to change for their peers. Many in the program have been found suitable for parole and many have left with knowledge and character insight that supports their positive reentry into society."

–Steve Emrick
Community Partnership Manager
San Quentin State Prison, California

World-renowned developer of the Enneagram system, author, and EPP Advisory Board Member Russ Hudson

EPP's expansion into southern California

“The Enneagram is a tool for self-discovery, personal transformation, and rehabilitation. EPP brings this powerful tool into prisons and jails, where it is a breath of rarified air with the Enneagram’s approach to whole person change (psychological, cognitive, emotional, physiological, behavioral, and spiritual). EPP helps the person understand the lens through which they see themselves, others and the world. The EPP program, from the founder to the ambassadors to the guides, I have met, are nothing short of extraordinary. We eagerly await their expansion into our prison.”

– Dr. Heather Greenwald
Chief of Mental Health - Maximum Security Prison

Learn More about EPP Self-Awareness Training

Where We Program Worldwide

In 2022, with joy and so much anticipation, EPP was able to return to programming on the inside of prisons and jails across the globe. Pre-pandemic, EPP was programming in-custody at 8 institutions in 2 US states and 3 countries; in 2022, we are programming in 19 institutions, 4 states, and 4 countries.

What Facilities Are Saying

"Soon after the EPP program was offered, I saw it quickly become the most requested, popular and discussed elective offered within Elmwood's Regimented Correctional Program (RCP). I very much believe that EPP's success lies in providing inmates a unique opportunity to learn about their own behavior and motivation... EPP's dedication comes from their passion to provide material to a population that urgently needs it."

Winston Chew - Rehabilitation Officer, Program Unit, Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office

"Enrollment in each EPP class is high. The class is sought after by all incarcerated inmates. Several success stories are reported of Enneagram students who have embarked on a journey of recovery after breaking a long-term pattern of recidivating.

The inmate students attribute their success to their participation in the Enneagram class and the support that they receive from the Enneagram community after incarceration. It has been my honor to work with the Enneagram staff and the founder of the Enneagram Prison Project, Susan Olesek. Their professionalism and passion to serve humanity are exemplary."

Neelam Wadhwani, Retired Inmate Rehabilitation Program Manager, Office of the Sheriff, Santa Clara County

Learn About EPP's In-Custody Program

EPP PODCAST

The EPP Podcast is a production of Enneagram Prison Project (EPP), and hosted by EPP Ambassador Clay Tumey. These raw conversations unpack the story of EPP and the collective work we are doing to free people - all over the world - from the prisons of our own making.

LISTEN NOW