Attempting to cut national reconviction rates, the UK Prison Service ‘invested’ £200 million (almost US$500 million) in courses being adopted in over 100 prisons in England and Wales. However, research over two years found absolutely no decline in the reconviction rates. Obviously something was lacking in the entire exercise – a lack that is more than taken care of by the Prison Program, as both inmates and staff at HM Prison Lindholme (England) gratefully found out, during the United Kingdom’s first ever Prison Program, in early 2004. The team that got the ball rolling here had already successfully introduced the Prison Program in the Les Nicolles Prison on the island country of Guernsey.
The Lindholme course was supported by the prison chaplains, and was also a resounding success! The priests expressed their interest in attending, and the prison staff requested a program to be conducted for them as well.
When Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar visited HM Prison Saughton (Edinburgh, Scotland), in June 2004. He addressed and interacted with the inmates, prison authorities, and staff.
Following his visit, and the course at Lindholme, HM Prison Marshgate followed suit, and now inquiries about the Prison Program, have been flooding in from various parts of the country.
