Freedom Project

Abstract

The number of people incarcerated in the United States has significantly increased in the past three decades. In 1980, approximately 330,000 people were incarcerated (Beck & Gilliard, 1995), but by the end of 2010, there were over 1.6 million people in federal and state prisons (Guerino, Harrison, & Sabol, 2011), greater than the population of Idaho (U.S. Census, 2010). At the end of 2010, 4.1 million people were on probation and 841,000 were on parole (Bonczar & Glaze, 2011) and more than 700,000 state and federal prisoners return to civilian society every year (Guerino et al., 2011). Nearly two thirds of released prisoners are rearrested for a new crime within 3 years of their release and half are sent back behind bars (Urban Institute, 2009). The cost in human suffering and the sheer enormity of the problem has fostered a surge of interest in the topic of prisoner training and reentry (Bucklen & Zajac, 2009). Given the public health and public safety issues associated with reentry, developing policies and programs that promote successful reentry and prevent reoffending are indispensable for a healthy community (Wheeler & Patterson, 2008). Several studies (e.g., Laub & Sampson, 2003; Tripodi, 2010) have identified events, such as marriage and forming strong ties to work, which can alter criminal trajectories. Other studies (e.g.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Interventions in Incarcerated Populations: A Meta-Analysis

“…In response to the concerns outlined above, numerous mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) intended for the general population have been adapted for both adult and youth incarcerated populations to support their mental health and reduce their recidivism rates (e.g., Himelstein et al, 2015;Samuelson et al, 2007;Suarez et al, 2014). However, the effectiveness of MBIs remains unclear and has yet to be quantified.…”

“Power of words”: impact, concerns and applications of nonviolent communication training

“…A training program containing NVC besides other modules like cognitive behaviour therapy and meditation was found to support developing humanistic skills amongst clinical workforce (Buck et al , 2021). There is evidence of NVC training influencing empathic communication and other empathic behaviours which further lead to a collaborative environment (Suarez et al , 2014).…”

“…NVC training was found to positively impact the ability to express one’s needs and to understand others’ points of view and, hence, lead to improved workplace engagement and reduced employee turnover (Yang and Kim, 2022). NVC training was found to be effective in developing the capacity for empathic listening and also an empathic awareness of others’ feelings (Suarez et al , 2014; Marlow et al , 2012). However, the assumed elevation of empathy through NVC training was found to vary from context to context.…”

An historical review of racial bias in prison-based substance abuse treatment design

“…Second, meditative therapy is an individual practice that can take place anywhere upon release from prison, with little to no operational expense. Even the operational costs of this nonpharmacological prison-based intervention are relatively nil, as many of the MBI facilitators provide classes at the facilities on a volunteer basis (Lyons & Cantrell, 2016) and incarcerated individuals across racial groups teach the practice to one another (Suarez et al, 2014).…”