Fostering inmates’ well-being and mental health through meditation
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Fostering inmates’ well-being and mental health through Transcendental Meditation: a prison pilot
IRAS ID
251271
Contact name
Francesca Cornaglia
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Organisation Research & Development Governance
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
284111, Worktribe project number
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 10 months, 0 days
Research summary
The objectives of the proposed project are i) to provide a rigorous assessment of the impact of Transcendental Meditation on prison inmates’ well-being, mental health, anti-social behaviour self-harm and risky behaviour, and ii) to uncover the mechanisms through which meditation works. We achieve this goal through a randomised control pilot trial (RCT) in Her Majesty's Prison Warren Hill (HMP) (England). Meditation is correlated with better self-regulation and is innovative because it fosters generalisable psychological processes that support cognitive, emotional and behavioural regulation, with self-regulation being an important factor behind the prevention of risky behaviour and a variety of outcomes.
The meditation intervention consists of teaching four one-hour lessons of the Transcendental meditation technique developed and offered by the David Lynch Foundation. The technique involves the use of a sound (mantra) to effortlessly allow the mind to settle down to a state of inner calm. Meditation enables those who have learned it and regularly practice it to be more self-aware and respond in a calmer and more considered manner to whatever happens in their present experience.
The project will last 2 years and target all inmates in HMP Warren Hill who are eligible to receive the meditation intervention and who are staying in prison for at least six months since the beginning of the project.
The sample population of 190 inmates will be randomly divided into two groups, one that will receive the meditation intervention and a comparison group who will not. The findings will impact academic research, through a deeper understanding of human behaviour, and policy makers, by providing a new approach to inmates’ rehabilitation.REC name
London - London Bridge Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/LO/0096
Date of REC Opinion
5 Mar 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion