Prisoners in various parts of the world have been taught to meditate. Research shows that practicing meditation helps them behave better, be less aggressive, and decreases the chance of going back to a life of crime once they leave prison.
For this reason, in late 2010, the Bangladesh Government invited the Quantum Foundation to conduct a Rehabilitation Program for the prisoners in Dhaka Central Jail. The program was formally inaugurated by the Honorable Home Minister Shahara Khatun on November 6, 2010. Brig. General (Retd.) Ashraful Islam Khan, IG (Prison) chaired the occasion.
New Attitude
At present, it is a 10-day program consisting of discussions, meditation and Quantum Yoga. Classes are held for two hours each day.
The discussions and meditations are geared towards changing the prisoner’s attitude towards life, themselves and life in prison.
- The prisoners are encouraged to believe that one can start over at any time in his/her life and use prison life constructively as a preparation for later life.
- They are helped to overcome their defensiveness and mistrust for each other and embrace the prison community as a family.
- Meditation, discussion, crying and laughing sessions helps them look inward, release the accumulated pain and anger.
- Meditation helps them forgive themselves and others.
- Self healing meditation helps improve their health and wellbeing.
- Breathing techniques and yoga help them attain a more balanced physical and mental state.
- Overall, the course gives the participants the belief that they are the ones if charge of their destiny, despite the deep-rooted feelings of helpless generated by course of events in their lives and their present incarcerated condition.
After the program the prisoners continue to practice meditation and are allowed to repeat the course with the later batches whenever they want to.
New Hope
Till June 2011, 5 batches for men and 1 batch for women had been held. While it is too early to assess the long term impact of the course we are highly encouraged by the signs we have seen so far. The participants are visibly moved. They have a higher rate of enrolling in the various vocational training courses available to them and are more active in taking advantage of the options for reducing prison term. Many of them repeat the course with later batches.