INSIDE FOLSOM PRISON - TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION AND TM (TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION)-SIDHI PROGRAM

• NCJ Number: 59830
• Author(s): G A ELLIS
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 279 pages
• Corporate Author: Etc Publications
• Sale Source: Etc Publications
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THIS BOOK DISCUSSES THE NATURE, PHILOSOPHY, AND RESULTS OF A TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION (TM) PROGRAM ESTABLISHED IN 1976 FOR INMATES AT FOLSOM PRISON IN CALIFORNIA.

Abstract

THE PROGRAM, WHICH WAS INITIATED BY ONE INMATE, WAS SUBSIDIZED BY THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE INTERNATIONAL TM ORGANIZATION, BECAUSE THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA HAD NO FUNDS AVAILABLE TO SUPPORT IT. GOALS OF THE TM PROJECT IN FOLSOM PRISON WERE TO DETERMINE TM'S ACCEPTABILITY TO INMATES IN A MAXIMUM SECURITY PRISON AS WELL AS TO TRY TO REPRODUCE PREVIOUS FINDINGS INDICATING TM'S EFFECTIVENESS IN SIX MINIMUM-TO-MODERATE SECURITY INSTITUTIONS. ANTICIPATED RESULTS WERE REDUCTION OF ANXIETY AND HOSTILITY, IMPROVEMENT OF SELF-CONCEPT, STABLE PHYSIOLOGY AND SLEEP PATTERNS, AND MORE PRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOR. AS A RESULT OF ALL THESE CHANGES, REDUCTION IN RECIDIVISM WAS ALSO ANTICIPATED. FOUR SELF-REPORTING PSYCHOLOGICAL INVENTORIES, SUCH AS THE BUSS-DURKEE HOSTILITY INVENTORY, WERE USED TO ASSESS TM'S EFFECTS. TWENTY-SIX MEDITATORS AND 14 CONTROLS RECEIVED BOTH PRETEST AND POSTTEST MEASURES ON THE INVENTORIES. RESULTS SHOWED THAT THE TM PROGRAM REDUCED ANXIETY AND NEUROSIS, BUT DID NOT AFFECT THE LEVEL OF EXTROVERSION. ADDITIONAL SURVEYS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN SLEEP PATTERNS BUT NO CHANGE IN SMOKING HABITS. A CROSS-VALIDATION STUDY CONCLUDED THAT THE TM PROGRAM COULD WELL BE THE MOST SELF-SUFFICIENT, POTENT REHABILITATION PROGRAM AVAILABLE AND SHOULD BE A MODEL FOR USE IN OTHER PRISON SETTINGS. THE BOOK ALSO INCLUDES EXTENSIVE DESCRIPTIONS OF TM AND ITS PHILOSOPHY, THE EFFECTS OF IMPRISONMENT, AND EDUCATIONAL AND OTHER PROGRAMS AT FOLSOM PRISON. ALSO, THE BOOK CONTAINS POEMS, INMATES' PERSONAL HISTORIES AND OPINIONS, INTERVIEWS WITH PRISON OFFICIALS AND INMATES, AND CORRESPONDENCE AMONG INMATES, OFFICIALS, AND TM ORGANIZATION MEMBERS. NUMEROUS CHARTS PRESENT RESULTS OF RESEARCH ON TM. FOOTNOTES, A BIBLIOGRAPHY, AN INDEX, AND APPENDIXES ON THE PRISON, TM ORGANIZATIONS, AND TM PROGRAMS ARE PROVIDED.