A bit of peace and quiet in a meditation class in HMP Camp Hill, on the Isle of Wight. Photo: Prison Phoenix Trust
The Rufford Maurice Laing Foundation provided a grant of £20,000 in 2007/08.
The Prison Phoenix Trust encourages prisoners in the development of their spiritual welfare, through the practices of meditation and yoga, working with silence and the breath.
They offer personal support to prisoners – and prison staff - through teaching, workshops, correspondence, books and newsletters.
In 2007, with the help of The Rufford Maurice Laing Foundation, they were able to run a total of 36 yoga and meditation workshops for prisoners and staff around the UK and Ireland. These taster workshops enabled prison managers to see for themselves, often to their surprise, how powerfully yoga helps people to slow down and become calm. In many cases this led the Governor to find resources to pay for regular classes. Their workshops in 2007 helped them establish 23 new weekly prison classes; several more are in the pipeline.
After a workshop, many prisoners decide to take up a yoga and meditation practice in their cell, even before a class has been set up. They offer them free books, CDs, newsletters and personal correspondence to guide and encourage them in sustaining a regular practice. In 2007 The Prison Phoenix Trust sent out 4097 books and CDs, on request – more than ever before.
At a relatively low cost, the 36 workshops had a great impact, not only for individual prisoners but for the whole prison community. As a prison officer from HMP Swaleside said: “I can see the benefits prisoners gain from daily meditation and their calmer approach to life. It affects the whole wing so everyone benefits.”