Mindfulness and Rehabilitation: Teaching Yoga and Meditation to Young Men in an Alternative to Incarceration Program.
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology November 1, 2017 Carla J Barrett
Male participants aged 18-24 in an Alternative to Incarceration program reported reductions in stress and improvements in emotion regulation after yoga and mindfulness training. Participants described how an embodied practice helped them manage anger and impulse control. The narratives suggest that mindfulness-based interventions can contribute positively to rehabilitative outcomes in such settings, offering complementary benefits to existing programs, especially for clients open to mindfulness training. Service providers should consider the potential of these interventions to foster desistance and reduce recidivism among justice system-involved populations.