The loss of freedom and individual autonomy can dramatically impact a life. Whether an inmate is an adult or juvenile, incarcerated for the first time or more than once because of failure to reenter society successfully after release, individuals who are imprisoned face enormous challenges.
Placement in prison or a juvenile corrections facility means the relinquishment of choice in most areas of life. Despite the severe restrictions placed on inmates, how each individual responds to the overall experience of incarceration is ultimately in his or her power. One of the most significant aspects of personal power is a person’s capacity to choose how he or she feels, and how to respond to these feelings. Emotional literacy – the ability to understand, manage and self-regulate how one feels – is a critical skill for all people. In the case of inmates, it can mean the difference between life and death, hope and despair and a life of freedom forever lost or successfully regained.
Facts at a Glance:
Adults:
On June 30, 2006, the number of inmates in the custody of state and federal prisons and local jails was 2,245,198.
At least 95% of all state prisoners will be released from prison at some point; nearly 80% will be released on parole supervision.
After sharp increases in the 1980s and 1990s, the incarceration rate has recently grown at a slower pace.
Juveniles:
Approximately 100,000 young people are currently in residential juvenile corrections facilities in the U.S.
50% to 75% of incarcerated youth have diagnosable mental health problems.
The most common disabling conditions among incarcerated youth are mild to moderate mental retardation, learning disabilities and behavioral disorders.
Who Needs HeartMath Research-Based Programs?
All juvenile and adult inmates, especially those who are:
In school or vocational training programs
Preparing for GED qualification
Getting close to time of release
Transitioning back into society
How HeartMath Can Facilitate Positive Change in Adult and Juvenile Offenders
The Institute of HeartMath offers a variety of programs and products based on 19 years of scientific research. They provide simple, yet powerful ways to improve mental, emotional and physiological health. With their unique focus on emotion-regulation skill building, HeartMath’s multimedia offerings are educational, practical and engaging, assuring a high rate of acceptance and utilization among inmates.
When adult and juvenile offenders are trained in emotion-regulation skills, their chances for successful reentry into their families and social settings are far greater. As inmates learn these skills, they can immediately utilize them in prison life. The benefits they experience can contribute significantly to retention and use after release, impacting their lives for the better and setting a strong baseline for ongoing emotional health and well-being.
IHM Research Publications and Articles Related to Corrections/Juvenile Justice
Preparing Inmates for a Better Future, an interview with Russ Smith, Assistant Coordinator for Special Education Compliance, Missouri Department of Corrections.
Hope in Prison? by Dr. Ira Katz, Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Supervisor, Department of Mental Health, Salinas Valley Psychiatric Program, Soledad, California.
Peace in Prison, by Dr. Ira Katz, Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Supervisor, Department of Mental Health, Salinas Valley Psychiatric Program, Soledad, California.
Products and Programs to Support Positive Change
TestEdge® Grades 9-12 Teacher’s Kit: Easy to use and integrate in many settings within a correctional facility, the TestEdge program is streamlined and ready to go with no requirement for special training or licensing. Students discover how their emotions and attitudes affect not only academic learning, but all life
experience, and they learn how to shift their attitudes and emotions when they want to. Inmate students who are in the educational range of grades 9-12+ will benefit from the no-nonsense information and techniques for neutralizing unwanted emotions and stepping back from charged situations with dignity. The TestEdge Teacher’s Kit is full of multimedia materials, making it easy for teachers and students to maximize the benefits this program offers – not only for taking tests with greater success, but for living more successfully in general. Learn more about TestEdge® Grades 9-12 Teacher’s Kit.
TestEdge Grades 6-8 Teacher’s Kit: Juvenile inmate students whose learning abilities are in lower grade levels can benefit from learning about their emotions and how to manage them just as much as students in higher grade levels. As with the Teacher’s Kit for the higher grades, fully scripted lessons are included with a range of other materials to give the teacher easy ways to assist students in understanding and managing their emotions. Gaining practical skills for emotional self-mastery has far-reaching benefits and can be learned by the majority of inmates, whatever their academic levels might be.
Learn more about TestEdge Grades 6-8 Teacher’s Kit.
emWave® PC/Mac Stress Relief System: One of the most powerful ways for an inmate to gain and retain self-mastery over his or her emotions is by seeing the effects of his or her efforts on a computer screen in real time. This award-winning learning system measures the user’s heart rhythms with a fingertip or ear sensor and teaches how to smooth out heart rhythms by activating positive emotions.
In facilities with educational environments that include computer labs, inmates of all ages can experience real-time shifts in feeling states by following simple instructions and interactive games.
Learn more about emWave® PC Stress Relief System or to purchase emWave PC / emWave Mac Stress Relief System.
Transforming Anger: The HeartMath Solution for Letting Go of Rage, Frustration, and Irritation: When an inmate’s anger and frustration rage out of control, frequently it’s a hair-trigger response based on habit. Habitual ways of reacting to life are used automatically and, in the case of anger and rage, often with devastating results. Here is a simple, short book that gives hope and practical solutions. It’s an ideal tool for group study and discussion, as well a meaningful book for personal study. It provides many useful techniques. Read more by clicking here: Transforming Anger: The HeartMath Solution for Letting Go of Rage, Frustration, and Irritation.
Testimonials and Stories
"When you think about it, the offender is in a situation where he has almost no control. HeartMath shifts the focus from an external locus of control and gives a certain amount of that control back to the offender. He (or she) learns, ‘I can control how I react.’ I think that’s what I like about HeartMath most of all."
—Russ Smith, Missouri Department of Corrections
Clear Results Shown in Residential Parole Program for Anger Management, Conflict Resolution and General Stress Management
The following is from an article written for HeartMath by Kevin Shuey, who teaches focused industry training and is a TestEdge® teacher at L.I.F.E. Tech:
L.I.F.E. Tech, located in Wetumpka, Alabama, is a residential transition program for women paroled from prison and seeking to make a successful return to families, homes and jobs. Developed through a joint partnership between the state’s Board of Pardons and Paroles and Department of Postsecondary Education, L.I.F.E. Tech opened in April 2004. A full range of transition services is provided, including substance abuse counseling, job skills and technical training, adult education and GED preparatory classes. Successful completion of the program is a condition of parole or probation for each woman who comes to the center. Failure to complete the program means a return to jail.
We knew about some of the work the Institute of HeartMath® was doing and that their offerings included some materials for test anxiety. L.I.F.E. Tech started offering a modified TestEdge® curriculum for the program’s Adult Education students. We started out small – targeting only those participants preparing for GED examinations. Gradually our efforts have expanded, with our goal being to provide TestEdge® training for all participants enrolled in our Adult Education programs.
There is a clear perception among program participants that the FreezeFrame® training, including time on the emWave® PC/Mac Stress Relief System, is helping them with test anxiety. It is also clear that they are benefiting from the training in ways that go far beyond the testing environment. Anger management, conflict resolution and general stress management are among the uses being reported by the residents of L.I.F.E. Tech.
A woman at L.I.F.E Tech’s transitioning facilities had these comments about using HeartMath emotion-regulation techniques:
"Three ways I’ve used the Freeze-Frame® technique: 1. When I am taking a test and my mind starts to wander or I start feeling stressed out. 2. When I am mad at my boyfriend or he is getting on my nerves. 3. When I am in group counseling and it is hard for me to stay focused. During these times I start to feel like I am losing control and weak. However, after I use the FreezeFrame® technique, I am able to concentrate, calm down and regain control of what I am doing. It works great in confrontations or taking tests."
"The December test scores showed a 16% improvement in math scores, and we have received a number of very positive anecdotal comments from students who have participated in the pilot study. One student commented, "I think everyone should take this class because it doesn’t only help with test-taking, it helps with the stress of everyday living."
—Prudence Goodale, Assistant Superintendent, Stoughton Public Schools
"This is to call your attention to the educational programs of the Institute of HeartMath. The Institute has developed several innovative programs which we believe could be helpful to teachers in the district. Of particular note is HeartMath’s TestEdge program, which is designed to help students improve their scores on such high-stakes tests as the SAT, STAR and CAHSEE. In Minnesota, Texas and California, TestEdge has had a dramatic impact on students’ ability to perform up to their capacity on high school exit exams, thus increasing the number of students who graduate with a diploma."
—Kathy Lesley, Assistant Superintendent, Instructional Support Services, Los Angeles Unified School District
"The students made gains that were significant, because they represented one to two years’ growth in reading or math with only one month of preparation and instruction. This clearly shows that in teaching students how to use the HeartMath tools, they were able to reduce their test-taking anxiety and more accurately show us what they know."
—Stephanie J. Thurik, M.Ed, Secondary Reading Curriculum Specialist, Minneapolis Public Schools
"HeartMath offers the most effective techniques for helping students overcome their math anxiety that I have ever seen. After seeing big improvements in math test scores, students’ ability to better understand new concepts and students’ attitudes, I became real excited about the broader implications for these learning strategies. A real buzz has been created at our college campus and in surrounding schools. We look forward to a long relationship with HeartMath."
—Michael Vislocky, Ph.D., Math Department, University of Cincinnati Clermont College
Funding Tips for Educators:
For schools and districts interested in purchasing Institute of HeartMath programs and products, the following link will take you to a list that provides information about a variety of federal, state and private educational funding sources: Funding Sources for Institute of HeartMath Programs & Products.
For useful information such as learning how to be an IHM Heart-Based Education Sponsorship Fund recipient, go to Heart-Based Education Sponsorship Fund.
