title: The benefits of meditation practice in the correctional setting.
abstract: This research examined the impact of a structured meditation program intervention on female detainees, comparing an experimental group and a control group for medical symptoms, emotions, and behaviors before and after the intervention. A 2 1/2-hour meditation session was held once a week for 7 weeks. Study participants completed a medical symptoms checklist before the program began and after it ended. At the posttest period, the experimental group experienced fewer sleeping difficulties, less desire to throw things or hit people, and less nail or cuticle biting; were more hopeful about their future; and felt less guilt. Meditation was beneficial for this population and may be a cost-effective tool for inmates and administrators. Meditation effects, especially among inmates, merit further research attention.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Sociology and Criminal Justice, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia 23529, USA.
authors.forename: Melvina T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Sumter
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Monk-Turner
authors.forename: Charlie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Turner
mesh_terms: D001519:Behavior; D004644:Emotions; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D019122:Meditation; D009259:Nail Biting; D011330:Prisons; D012890:Sleep; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014754:Violence