Toxic stress and trauma impact everyone in the prison system—

incarcerated individuals, 

families and communities, and

corrections officers.

Meditation can change this.

Unlocking calm, courage, and compassion within.

The WITHIN Project helps incarcerated individuals access calm, release stress, and heal trauma—improving mental health and increasing post-release success—by bringing a research-supported meditation program to correctional facilities and reentry organizations in Wisconsin.

THE PROBLEM

Most incarcerated individuals suffer from trauma and lack access to the care they need.

35,000 people are locked up in the Wisconsin prison system.

PTSD is 10x higher in prisons than the general population.

The WI prison funding and staffing crisis has caused severe emotional distress.

This is an issue for all of us.

For the health and safety of our communities—because  40% of released individuals in WI are reincarcerated within 3 years and 80% rearrested within 10 years.

For the wellbeing of all—each year WI spends 3x more on incarceration than education, or $30K per incarcerated person, costing $220 per state resident.

  • “Meditation helps me feel calm, cool, and collected.”

    -Jeremiah, Racine Correctional Insitution

  • “Meditation helps reset my mind and body when I'm going through stressful situations."

    -Janet, Robert E. Ellsworth Correctional Center

  • "This is dope."

    -Jay, Marshall E. Sherrer Correctional Center

  • “Meditation stopped me from getting in a fight that would have kept me in here longer."

    -Jamal, Racine Youth Offenders Correctional Facility

  • “Stress is being released, leaving me with a sense of serenity."

    -Catherine, Robert E. Ellsworth Correctional Center

PROGRAM

In a four 75-minute sessions, participants learn how to:

  • Practice a simple, enjoyable, and self-sufficient mental technique that removes stress and dissolves trauma.

  • Calm the mind and relax the body in order to experience deep rest.

  • Access a quiet stillness within that leads to greater presence, resilience, and compassion.

  • Overcome fear or resistance to quieting the mind or making space for meditation.

  • Apply the transformative power of meditation to daily life.

BENEFITS

Scientific research continue to reveal the dramatic effect of meditation on personal wellbeing, such as:

  • Decreases anxiety and depression

  • Improves sleep & relieves insomnia

  • Reduces anger and impulsive reactivity

  • Boosts immune system

  • Enhances mood, focus, and self-awareness

  • Lowers risk of heart disease and levels blood pressure

  • Deepens sense of meaning and purpose