“Human freedom involves our capacity to pause, to choose the one response toward which we wish to throw our weight.” – Rollo May
Yoga and meditation have been offered in the detention and prison settings since the mid-1970’s. Although not considered a mainstream approach to health and well-being, these practices are gaining wider acceptance throughout Europe and North America. Studies continue to show the benefits of both yoga and meditation for the incarcerated population. A study reported in 1987 in the Journal of Criminal Justice reported a 35% drop in recidivism for yoga and meditation practitioners after one year as compared to the general population. A more recent study published by the National Library of Medicine in 2017, reported “reduced criminal behavior and re-arrests and recidivism. In particular, 80% of the control group were rearrested by the three-year post-release point, while only 62% of the REVAMP group were rearrested.” The study concluded that the practice of mindfulness may be a significant help to returning citizens as they leave incarceration.
This is all really intriguing. My question always is, “what does this look like in real life?” Since taking over program administration from its founder, Erin Giefer, Freedom on the Inside (FOTI for short) instructors have made well over 2200 participant contacts so I think we can weigh in on this.
Lower anxiety and stress levels. For a full year prior to the COVID-19 lockdown, we collected pre-class and post-class anxiety questionnaires from adult participants participating in yoga and meditation in the Missoula County Detention Facility. Admittedly, 209 complete data sets do not a robust study make; BUT what we found was a marked reduction in anxiety-related symptoms such as racing heart, feeling dizzy and fear of the worst happening.
Why this matters. First off, correction officers report fewer behavior problems in the jail. That in and of itself is probably enough. In addition, we know that an increased ability to manage stress levels leads to more capacity to choose responses appropriate to the situation at hand. This is nearly impossible to do when we have already shifted into the activation of fight/flight. We just behave better when we are not stressed.
Restorative sleep. When the body is tense and the mind is racing, good restorative sleep can be elusive. Learning to stay in the present with what is and gaining clarity on what you do and do not have control over is a really effective way to start to quiet mind chatter and relax the body. Learning to follow the breath and relax both the mind and body is a useful skill for all of us, not just for those who are criminally justice involved.
Why this matters. It is well documented that sleep deprivation has detrimental effects on both the mind and body. Our mental health is CLOSELY connected with sleep. Add to this that sleep problems are very common for people diagnosed with anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder. We know that the imprisoned population are disproportionately affected by mental health concerns, some of what landed them in jail to begin with.
Substance Use Disorder Recovery support. Mindful practices are useful support strategies for drug and alcohol self-control. They have become widely used in both the outpatient and residential setting.
Why this matters. Mindfulness practices literally change the structure of the brain. This means that the well-worn pathways associated with substance use begin to weaken with time and practice while the prefrontal cortex (planning, working memory and self-control) becomes more robust. We feel less threatened and less activated and more able to think things through.
Mind/body Interventions such as yoga and mindfulness practices are relatively inexpensive to provide. They also teach life-long skills and can be practiced by everyone. More importantly, perhaps, is that these practices help foster compassion for ourselves. That sounds like the community I want to live in!
Kathy Mangan
