Sunday 5 June 2011

Men getting all bendy.

 
This is a guest post by  James Fox, the founder of Prison Yoga.

There are currently 7.3 million Americans under correctional supervision in the criminal justice system, 2.25 million warehoused in U.S. prisons. Prisons are located away from where the rest of us live, usually not where we can see them. Yes, out of sight, out of mind. We’re out of touch with the fact that huge numbers of us are behind bars. Usually it’s just families who care…and the remote locations of most prisons make it harder on families to reunite.
 
The U.S. criminal justice system is fundamentally about punishment. It’s retributive justice. Do the crime, do the time. Prisoners aren’t made to come face to face with their crimes, to take responsibility for damage they’ve done to their victims or themselves. On average it costs $29,000 a year to imprison an adult, $45,000 in New York, more in California. Yet prisoners are released with little rehabilitative improvement, social or life skills. It’s no wonder 67% of them re-offend in California (60% US average). We have to ask ourselves, after release, what kind of person do we want coming back into our communities? At the grocery store. In a restaurant. At the park?

We believe in restorative justice. Prison Yoga Project provides a cost-effective method of improving prisoner health and behavior. We believe in addressing the damage done and providing tools for self rehabilitation. We’ve helped hundreds of prisoners by instilling self-control and fostering accountability. While they’re ‘doing the time,’ we focus on violence prevention, impulse control, mood disorders, depression, despair, addiction and PTSD. Prisons are dumping grounds for people afflicted with trauma and addictions.
The need for yoga and mindfulness training in prisons is critical. There is an ever-growing and unmet demand for programs and the teachers who run them. These volunteers need special training to effectively deal with at-risk populations. And there are so many prisons we haven’t yet reached. At San Quentin alone there are waiting lists to enter the current program. As you can see from the prisoners’ own letters, one of the most important things this program does is to put free books into their hands. This takes money. And this says nothing about the need for office and other support and supplies. The list is long.

Thanks for believing, as we do, in the healing power of yoga and the worthiness of all human beings to receive this healing. We appreciate your support. If you need further information or wish to arrange a program in your community, please contact me directly at james@prisonyoga.com.

~ James Fox MA, Founder and Director, Prison Yoga Project
You must be the change you want to see in the world. ~ Mohandas Gandhi

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