NCJ Number
219850
Journal
Corrections Today Magazine Volume: 69 Issue: 4 Dated: August 2007 Pages: 56,57,67
Date Published
August 2007
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article reports on the evaluation findings of a structured meditation program for female inmates, which focused specifically on the program’s impact on the inmates’ reported physical and emotional symptoms.
Abstract
Results revealed that participants in the structured meditation program experienced fewer sleep problems than control subjects who did not participate in the meditation program. The findings also indicated that participants became less violent, were less likely to bite their nails, and had reduced levels of stress and anxiety. Participants in the meditation program also reported being more optimistic about their future than the comparison subjects. The results support previous findings on the physiological, physical, and spiritual benefits of meditation. There is a growing body of research suggesting that nontraditional health interventions are beneficial to inmates, including meditation. Meditation, which is described as the process by which individuals learn to quite their minds, is taught at several prisons and is thought to ease the impact of prison life on inmates and their family members. Participants were 33 female inmates at the Tidewater Detention Center (Virginia) who were randomly assigned to participate in the meditation program or a control condition. Background information was collected on all participants including demographic data, family structure, social and economic data, criminal justice data, and religious background. All participants also completed a symptoms checklist prior to the beginning of the meditation program. Following the close of the meditation program, all participants were administered a symptoms checklist and an open-ended questionnaire about the structured meditation program. Endnotes