Dear Friend of PDN,

Recently I had the pleasure of joining our PDN team at a Rhode Island Department of Corrections facility for men.  Together we launched our first research initiative to assess the impact of our Path of Freedom curriculum, integrating mindfulness practice with cognitive-behavioral training and social emotional learning.  A group of fifty men will be part of this five-year study. The pain and the hope in the eyes of these men is still with me as I’m writing to you. I can see each of their faces and I’m absolutely committed to making a difference in their lives.

This is an exciting time in the world of prison dharma. There is now a growing body of research on the application of mindfulness, in fields ranging from healthcare to the military. Can law enforcement and corrections be far behind?

PDN won’t waver in our dedication to Buddhist and faith-based contemplative programs in prisons.  At the same time, our priority is to establish mindfulness-based programming as evidenced-based practice in corrections. To this end PDN is now conducting a 5-year research based initiative with the goal of demonstrating positive system-wide impact through mindfulness-based emotional intelligence training for prisoners and corrections staff.

We moved our offices from Boulder, Colorado to Rhode Island in 2010 and are now within 15 minutes of seven correctional facilities.  We have established programs in three facilities and eventually hope to be in all seven. We are also working to create post-release groups in partnership with various social service agencies. In order to accomplish all of this, along with our research-based initiative,  we need to double our funding over the next five years. All of this will require considerable sustained funding over the coming decade.

Please help us continue growing the field of meditation and mindfulness-based work in our jails, prisons, juvenile facilities, post-release and at-risk youth programs. We continue to send thousands of meditation books to prisoners and prison libraries each year. Our membership includes over 175 organizations and over 4000 individual volunteers and supporters. In the past two years, we have trained over 200 Path of Freedom facilitators, volunteering all over the U.S. and abroad.

Please consider making a generous one-time or recurring donation at this time and partner with us in our mission to transform society by giving the women, children and men in our jails and prisons, and the professionals and volunteers who work with them, the best possible tools for positive change.

With great appreciation for your continued support and partnership,

Acharya Fleet Maull, Founder

Prison Dharma Network

Please follow this link to make an online donation or send a check to:

Prison Dharma Network

11 S. Angell St. #303

Providence RI 02906