The Lionheart Foundation

Freedom Behind Bars
An Intensive Meditation Program in a
Maximum-security Prison

In January 2002, the Lionheart Foundation sponsored a special intensive meditation project inside Donaldson Correctional facility, a maximum-security prison in Alabama. This project, a first of its kind in American
correctional history, grew out of a request from a number of inmates who had participated in the Houses of Healing emotional literacy courses held at Donaldson since 1996. Having been introduced to meditation during the courses, inmates now wanted to build on this experience with an even more intensive meditation program.

With the strong support of Donaldson psychologist, Dr. Ron Cavanaugh, the encouragement of the Lionheart Foundation, and the skill and enthusiasm of the inmate facilitator who first championed the Houses of Healing course at Donaldson, programs based on Houses of Healing grew into a large pool of several hundred inmates who were meditating on a regular basis. Deep within this harsh and frequently violent environment, a growing number of inmates were thirsty for further emotional healing. Through Houses of Healing, they had discovered that the practice of meditation and other awareness and self-reflective skills were a potent means of tapping into inner peace and wisdom.

With careful planning among the Lionheart Foundation, the Alabama Department of Corrections, and the Vipassana Meditation Center in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts, in January 2002, twenty inmates at Donaldson moved into the prison gym to learn the ancient practice of Vipassana meditation. Over the next 10 days, for 10 hours a day, they were instructed by three Vipassana teachers in techniques developed for reducing emotional suffering and cultivating inner peace.

This was one of the most innovative and unusual treatment programs ever held in an American prison. At the end of the 10 days, after over 100 hours of group meditation, the 20 men emerged with an individual and communal commitment to their emotional development and spiritual potential.

In May, a second Vipassana course was held at Donaldson. During this course, over 30 hours of film footage was recorded under the direction of Jenny
Phillips, Ph.D. Lionheart is currently seeking financial backing for the completion of a documentary film. Freedom Behind Bars will show the capacity for commitment, self-examination, renewal and hope within a dismal penal system. We trust that the public airing of this film will engender a more informed understanding of the humanity within men and women serving time. In addition, the film will be of direct benefit to prisoners themselves. Through Lionheart’s extensive distribution network, Freedom Behind Bars will be made available to prisoners and prison staffs throughout the United States.