Exploring Vipassana Meditation in Prisons: A Ray of Hope for a Better Future

Abstract

The inmate population has soared to about 11 million in the world due to an increase in organized crimes, political instability, and uncertainties about the future. The hyper masculinity, violent, emotionally depriving and dangerous nature of prison can have severe implications on the mental health of prisoners. Traumatized inmates and those with mental health disorders suffer more. Numerous prisons and correctional facilities have moved away from the norm of seeing prison only as a place of punishment. They also serve as a place to restructure life, indulge in self-reflection, and grow. There is an increasing need of transforming the individuals in these facilities into better humans- both who will be liberated eventually and those who will never be. Mindfulness-based meditation and spiritual practices are transcendent and effective approaches to accomplishing this goal. Vipassana meditation, one of the oldest Indian-Buddhist practice seems like a viable and promising choice for bringing about change. This paper explores the research studies conducted on Vipassana mediation courses in prisons and correctional facilities across the globe and the psychological impact of the intervention. It has become extremely crucial to focus on the mental health of the inmate population to reduce the probability of them committing future crimes, the safety of communities in which prisoners will be released, and the well-being of prison staff and other inmates.