Yoga and the Incarcerated
Eden Bellow
Lesley University
Introduction
Introduction
Being a convict is not an easy life to
live. In today’s prisons the focus is on punishment rather than rehabilitation
(Suneetha). In addition, the way the government views prisoners is that they
are dangerous and hardcore criminals instead of individuals who are in need of
transformation (Suneetha). Some
experiments have been carried out in the past couple of years, both in the east
and in the west, about alternative ways to manage individuals in prisons.
Washington states said, that “for every $1 spent on juvenile detention systems,
the cost benefit was about $2 in terms of reduced crime and cost of crime to
taxpayers. With alternative approaches such as family therapy and mentoring the
cost benefit returns were significantly higher, in the range of $3.36 to $50” (Ramadoss
& Bose, 2010). One of those alternative methods
is incorporating yoga into the daily schedules of a few thousand prisoners. Research
shows that yoga is an effective way to speed up the rehabilitation process in
prisons and leads to a more manageable environment. Authorities in these jails
and the convicts themselves have claimed that one of the hardest parts about
living in this environment is all of the free time and isolation (Suneetha).
Using cases from both east and west, we will look at how yoga has been
incorporated into prisoners’ lives and what effect it has had on their
environment and most importantly their internal transformations for the better.
This paper will cover jail systems in many different cultures and what benefits
come out of teaching yoga for the communities and the individuals in and around
the prisons.
What
brought me to this topic is my deep fascination with the prisons and prisoners.
Going on field trips to jails in high school and talking to convicts first hand
has captured my attention. There are a lot of negative depictions in the media of
incarceration and I have always felt that punishment is not always the answer
when dealing with people who have committed even the worst of crimes. Once
released, they often end up doing more damage to the society than good. This
should change, and change comes from within first.
According to a dissertation presented to
the U.S. commission on Civil Rights by Marc Mauer, “The U.S. rate of
incarceration of 702 inmates per 100,000 population represents not only a
record high, but situates this nation as the world leader in its use of
imprisonment”(2003). If we are the leaders in the field of incarceration then
we are setting an example for other countries. Over populated jails leave a lot
of emotional scars and stressors on the incarcerated and is an environment that
is not easy to live in. According to Holman Zeidenburg who did a study on the
dangers of detention, “youth incarceration harms emotional, mental, and social
development and has counterproductive effects on communities” (Ramadoss
& Bose, 2010). If the
way people are being treated in jails affects the surrounding communities,
there should definitely be a focus on bettering the troubled individuals rather
than simply punishing them.
Cultural Attitudes Towards Incarceration
There
are many different ways to approach jail systems all over the world. The United
States and an Asian country such as India have different reasons as to why a
different approach to incarceration is needed. In India, the Prisons Act of
1894 is still applied to their system today (Suresh, Murthy,
Parthasarthy, Kumar & Madhusudhan, 2011). This system
calls for a much more humane approach to the way inmates are treated than how
they were previously. The biggest change was made by the All India Prisons
Reform Committee in 1980. The three most important rules laid down were: One,
that the prisoners should not be treated like “non-humans.” Two, that a prisoner has access to all
the human rights within the limitations of imprisonment. Lastly, that there is
no need to aggravate the already-suffering prisoners. The committee also
provided suggestions and guidelines for improvements in security, better mental
care, vocational training, separate prison facilities for women and much more (Suresh,
Murthy, Parthasarthy, Kumar & Madhusudhan, 2011).
There was also a decision made by the local government in Kerala
to concentrate more on reform: 280 (all murderers) of Kerala’s 5,308 prisoners
were included in a government experiment with an “open wall jail” (Merkel,
1994). The prisoners first start out in a closed jail and if they exhibit good
behavior they are released into the open one. This open prison was set on 300
acres in the foothills of the Western Ghats. The open prison is well known for
treating inmates with respect and entrusting them with responsibilities for
work in the fields (spending their time contributing to their society).
The concepts used are based on some of Gandhi’s guidelines on how
to go about daily life in a Satyagraha Ashram which were written in 1930 during
his own incarceration in Yeravada Central prison (Merkel, 1994). One approach
was to allow the prisoners to continue being involved in their home
communities. This was done so that the prisoner’s family can share the burden
of reform with the state. This strong relationship between the prisoners and
their families also allows the criminal to “gradually heal the community’s” wounds
associated with their crime” (Merkel, 1994). In the 48 years this prison has been running, there has only
been one repeat offender. The prisoners who work hard and learn their trade
become better citizens once they are released and can proceed to lead a more
normal life. Most importantly, the community spirit of the jail has proven
effective in preventing crime from occurring again by humbling their inmates and
showing them the value of an honest living (Merkel, 1994).
This
is not to say that India doesn’t have the same imprisonment issues as we do in
the west. Most of their jails suffer from over-population, unsatisfactory
living conditions, staff shortages and poor training, inadequate prison
programs and more. But their efforts to experiment with an alternative approach
seem worthy of attention and consideration.
In
the United States, the concentration on punishment of criminals has been the
main concern. In fact, the U.S. incarceration rate has risen by 22 percent
since 1989, which is 5-8 times higher than most industrialized nations (Maure,
2003). Some data from the Department of Justice states that a black male born
today has a 29 percent chance of becoming incarcerated in a state or federal
prison in his lifetime (Bonczar & Beck, 1997). Moreover, thanks to the “three strikes and you’re out”
system, most people end up being incarcerated for committing a bunch of small
crimes. This results in long term sentences for crimes that aren’t always so
severe, which causes over-crowding in most of our jails (Blumstein & Beck,
1999).
This tendency to over-sentence is one of the key variables that
contribute to many of the personal conflicts among inmates in the system today.
A good example of this is a decision in 2003 by the U.S. Supreme Court which “upheld
the California statute in a case in which a man convicted of stealing $153
worth of videotapes from a department store received a sentence of 50 years to
life” (Mauer, 2003).
Just from my basic knowledge, gathered from jail visits and
information gained throughout my life, I know that the United States spends a
significant amount of money on the jail system today. Keeping someone in jail
for long periods of time is not cheap. It is also fairly clear that the
stressors of long or life sentences are extraordinarily high. With a
concentration more on punishment than rehabilitation it seems the inmates only
become more aggravated and tend to develop many types of psychological distress
the longer they’re incarcerated.
I do know from conversations with inmates that there are many good
experiences that occur in jail and for some it is used to get themselves back
in line. Some inmates choose to talk to kids about their lives and the mistakes
they have made and what they have learned for their own therapeutic purposes.
When I visited a Framingham jail with my high school psychology class, the
inmates shared with us that they get no reward for talking with us. They chose
to share their experiences with us as part of their own process of rehabilitation
as well as speak to what it is like to live with a crime hanging over your head
for the rest of your life.
There
are programs that exist now, like Niroga (which we will talk about later), that
strive to incorporate an alternative approach to incarceration. These programs
focus on the effects that crimes have on the convicted individuals, their
families, their victims, and their local communities in order to give a more
individualized experience to the incarcerated (Bose & Ramadoss, 2010). What
is important in regard to an effective rehabilitation program is to think about
how incarceration will affect the criminal emotionally and how their possibly
hostile attitudes may cause more harm than good to their communities. Both the
U.S. and India have progressed in this area of concern through a couple of
studies involving yoga as a tool to help heal the incarnated population.
Emotional Benefits of Yoga
It is well established that yoga can
provide physical, emotional, and spiritual support and development for an
individual. For the purposes of this paper, the emotional and spiritual aspects
are what matter the most because those are the toughest parts of the self to preserve
and protect when one is incarcerated.
Some of yoga’s emotional benefits include
enhanced esteem and self-worth, introspection, peacefulness and self-control,
self-awareness and much more (Landau & Gross, 2008).
Yogic techniques can help one master one’s own thoughts and feelings, which
is much needed in a jail environment where the mind dominates experience
significantly. It has been found that yogic practices weaken negative emotions
and ways of thinking and promote positive feelings instead (Bhaushan, 1998). Recently
it was reported that, “the use of yoga techniques in the Indian prison systems
have ‘reduced violent behavior and improved quality of life for prison staff
and prisoners” (Bonura,
2007). It was also observed that the use of yoga in prisons showed higher
scores of “social desirability” (Suneetha). If the largest problem in the jail
system today is that there is not enough focus on individual transformation,
then yoga seems to be a very effective alternative. The studies below will help
provide a closer look at just how helpful incorporating yoga into prisoners’
lives can be.
Western Jails and the Incorporation of
Yoga
According to a recent study, “100,000
juveniles are being held in detention facilities every year in the United
States. The state of California holds more than 17% of all incarcerated youth” (Ramadoss
& Bose, 2010). Niroga is
an organization that aims to introduce health and wellbeing into the lives of
young convicts. A program they created is called Transformative Life Skills
(TLS) which “aims to reduce stress and improve self-control and self-awareness
in youth incarcerated in juvenile halls” (Ramadoss & Bose,
2010). They believe that if
they can help change these troubled individuals they can improve the next
generation overall. This makes sense, since once the youth is released, if they
are have more control and self-awareness then less trouble will be caused or
passed on out in the world. The type of yoga intervention they used was
provided 5 days a week. Each class started with pranayama breathing, silent
sitting meditation, sun salutations, an asana of the day, followed by more breathing
and a closing bell (Ramadoss & Bose, 2010). In relation to stress, there was a
significant decrease from the start of the program to the finish as well as an
increase in self-control. The Niroga staff in the jails would use the phrase
“stay on your own mat” and this awareness of their own space seemed to keep the
minors focused on their own business, resulting in less conflict in the
environment (Ramadoss & Bose, 2010). The use of yoga in this study group
also improved and demonstrated leadership capabilities in the participants (Ramadoss
& Bose, 2010).
Ananda Marga yoga was also taught to male
inmates in Wake Correctional center in Raleigh, NC. They made the classes
voluntary: the class is announced on the loudspeaker and those who attend sign
a sheet so as to keep a steady record of attendance. The first hour is about
applying yogic principles to personal problems and discussing principles, like
yama and niyama, as well as a meditation and a mantra. For the second hour the
inmates begin their yoga practice. They would “center themselves with Namaskar
(I salute the divinity within you with
all the divine charms of the mind, and all the love and cordiality of my
heart)” (Landau & Gross, 2008). This prayer is incorporated because it
helps the participants gain mutual respect, which is one of the aims of the
program. The asanas in the practice aim to calm rather than increase energy,
making it easier for the prisoners to deal with what is typically a chaotic and
highly energetic environment. The yoga section consists of asanas such as
dancer pose, yogic breathing, hand-to-foot pose, sitting forward bend, and many
others. At the end of these sessions a summary for the asanas they did in
class, song sheets, and descriptions of the eightfold path are handed to the
participants so they can continue to practice on their own. A total of 190
inmates attended one class, and 52
attended at least four classes (Landau & Gross,
2008). The results showed
that, “regular attendance of yoga classes was associated with lower
reincarceration rates” (Landau & Gross, 2008).
This finding is a signal of hope for future alternative approaches to
self-healing with criminals or generally “troubled” people. Yoga helps to
connect the body to the mind and gives a sense of truly listening to your inner
world. Maybe if you can listen
more to your inner world then your experience of the outer world has the
potential to be more peaceful. More studies should be done with yoga and
reincarceration rates.
Eastern Jails
The first yoga-related programs in jails started in
India in Nasik (near Mumbai). The program included 300 inmates. Various
programs of Sahaja Yoga took place in the jail 2 hours per day. One of
the participants said, "I couldn’t sleep any more. During nights and
nights, the desire of revenge was burning me. But now, I am no more
intoxicated by anger. The Yoga helped me to go beyond my problems.
I could forgive. I can sleep and I feel more peaceful. I learned a
new art of living (Leone, 2007).
In a pilot study done in Munger
district jail, inmates participated in many different yoga activities. They
practiced pranayama, yoga nidra, and kritan prayers. The prisoners reported
that they felt both mentally and physically stronger and less inclined to fight
with other inmates and the authorities (Suneetha). For many prisoners, isolation and a lot of free time is where they
struggle the most. Time spent with a mind fixated on the negative is never
healthy. One study incorporated a “yoga camp” that included hatha yoga for 50
life prisoners. At the end of this intensive program, most reported that they
desired to be in isolation: they wanted to spend time with their thoughts and
work on their awareness (Bunk, 1979).
All of these studies show how helpful yoga can
be for the incarcerated. From my personal experience, I would imagine that the
negative side of yoga in jails is that this practice only helps the person come
to terms with who they are. Yoga and meditation do not change one’s past or who
we really are; it’s just about acceptance. Not all of these criminals will
magically be accepted into society or even by their family. However, it is
supported by evidence that practicing yoga and learning to meditate when going
through the worst of situations appears to help. Jails can be thought of as a
place to make something more of yourself, a place to learn how to love oneself
and respect others. Giving people a sense of self-worth and an opportunity to
rehabilitate themselves is clearly
a worthwhile approach to dealing with the problems of long-term incarceration.
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