Member of the UK Parlament Chris Ruane said ‘mindfulness’ should be introduced into prisons to help inmates become better citizens, The Telegraph reports.
In his article, Bill Gardner explains:
Prisoners and their guards should meditate together to reduce violence and improve behaviour, an MP has suggested.
Mindfulness is said to change the way people think about experiences and reduce stress and anxiety, an approach adopted by around 115 MPs and peers in the “hothouse” of Parliament.
Using meditation, devotees are trained to “accept the intentional, accepting and non-judgmental focus of one’s attention on the emotions, thoughts and sensations occurring in the present moment”.
Labour’s Chris Ruane said the “chic” approach would help prisoners to learn “gratitude, appreciation and balance”. Meditating would also help inmates become better citizens when they leave jail, he said.
The Vale of Clwyd MP added officers and prisoners should learn together while the approach should also be extended to police officers and the military.
Google, Apple and other top international companies advocate the technique, Mr Ruane said.
He added US marines had also successfully adopted it, telling the Commons: “If it works with big beefy marines, I think it could work with British prison officers.”
Justice Minister Andrew Selous acknowledged the Ministry of Justice is to launch mindfulness projects in the new year, although did not specify further details.
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