First Prison Study Using theTranscendental MeditationProgram

A Systematic Review of Literature: Alternative Offender Rehabilitation—Prison Yoga, Mindfulness, and Meditation

“…The four most common meditation techniques (Hunnicutt & Rhodes, 2015) to increase selfawareness are (1) transcendental meditation, which trains participants to focus their attention on a single stimulus, such as a word, sound, or object, and is the most scientifically researched (Alexander et al, 2003;Griera, 2017;Hunnicutt & Rhodes, 2015;Orme-Johnson & Moore, 2003;Shapiro & Walsh, 2003), (2) Anapana meditation, known as the foundation of all Buddhist meditation and the simplest form of meditation that focuses awareness on the breath, but the least researched (Hanh, 2012;Hunnicutt & Rhodes, 2015), (3) mindfulness-based stress reduction meditation, a Westernized version of mindfulness that brings awareness of breath, yoga, and body scans (Himelstein, 2011;Hunnicutt & Rhodes, 2015) and involves the moment-to-moment observation of, and attention to, all internal and external stimuli (thoughts, sensations, emotions) without judgment (Perelman et al, 2012), and (4) Vipassana meditation (meaning insight), a more technically advanced form of meditation (Hunnicutt & Rhodes, 2015) that focuses on the mental observations and sensations occurring within the body (Perelman et al, 2012) and involves the observation of the reality within oneself.…”

“…In addition, there were improvements in inmates' functioning of the frontal lobes of the brain in a manner useful for rehabilitation of offenders. More importantly, Orme-Johnson and Moore found that those prisoners who stuck to their daily practice of meditation had the most benefits from the practice (Orme-Johnson & Moore, 2003). Although inmate behavior improved and less chaos occurred, it was only because of those who were fixed on practicing every day that this change occurred.…”

“…One of the first studies to test the effects of meditation on prison inmates came from Orme-Johnson and Moore (2003) in 1971. They found that over a 2-month period, participants in the meditation showed an increase in the stability of the nervous system and reductions in rigidity, obsessive thoughts, and compulsive behavior (Orme-Johnson & Moore, 2003). In addition, there were improvements in inmates’ functioning of the frontal lobes of the brain in a manner useful for rehabilitation of offenders.…”

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Prison: Experiences of Inmates, Instructors, and Prison Staff

“…First, studies investigated the effectivity of Transcendental Meditation (TM; meditation, repetitions of a mantra and yogic practices) in male inmates, incarcerated for narcotics-related crimes. Orme-Johnson and Moore (2003) found a decrease in obsessive-compulsive behavior and social introversion as well as an increased stability in the autonomic nervous system (indicating lower stress levels) after TM. Rainforth and Alexander (2003) and Alexander et al (2003) found reductions of risk of recidivism in TM groups of male prison inmates.…”

Efecto de un proceso grupal de meditación sobre el estrés percibido y las estrategias de afrontamiento en un contexto carcelario

“…Para ello, se utilizó un diseño mixto de triangulación con modelo de convergencia. En este sentido, la revisión de investigaciones sobre meditación con personas privadas de libertad (Barnert, et al, 2014;Le & Proulx, 2015;Nidich et al, 2016;Orme-Johnson & Moore, 2003;Perelman et al, 2012;Pham, 2013;Rainforth, Alexander & Cavanaugh, 2003;Ronel et al, 2013;Vannoy & Hoyt, 2004) evidencian la pertinencia de evaluar los aportes de la meditación desde abordajes cuantitativos para destacar sus benefi cios en el manejo del estrés, autocontrol, inteligencia emocional, adaptabilidad, disminución de la reincidencia, entre otros. Asimismo, los abordajes con enfoque cualitativo permitieron la captación del fenómeno desde las percepciones de los sujetos.…”