One prayer unifying all in a demonstration of peace in all prisons.

A record 7.2 million Americans are behind bars, on probation, or on parole, with 2.3 million of those actually incarcerated.  One in 100 Americans is incarcerated in one of the thirteen hundred prisons operating throughout the United States. [1] One in 31 American adults is engaged in the penal system at any given time. A typical prison houses violent criminals that live in a brutal community that is causing fear and anguish for those that live and work in that environment.  

Prayer and meditative practices have shown remarkable results in the creation of peace and tranquility in societies throughout the world. Studies have shown that when even less than 1% of the population prays and meditates for peace, violent crime decreases by as much as 27% [2]. What better place to prove this principle than in our prisons? Using what we know works, we envision using prayer and meditation to decrease violence in prison communities by as much as 20% through 2012, the Year of Transformation. Our goal is to enroll 1% of all incarcerated persons, a total of 23,000 men and women into the project by the year 2012. 

Prison inmates spend most of their time together in open populations existing in a harsh environment of “kill or be killed” atmospheres. These atmospheres are controlled by gangs and overseen by armed guards, and harsh rules and regulations abound to control the men and women that are incarcerated. 

The Peace Center, Berwyn, IL www.thepeacecenter.info  has recently become partners with Spirit Light Outreach, an organization that fulfills requests from inmates for the book A Course in Miracles, which is a study program about inner peace. Right now, we could begin asking over 300 inmates served by the program to send us stories of how practicing prayer in the prison environment has affected their lives in a positive way. We would like to gather these experiences and edit them down to fill a book that will serve to inspire other inmates and their families into the belief that prayer works, and encourage them to use prayer and meditation in their own lives.  

The database of all the incarcerated men and women can serve as a networking tool to bring these people together forming prayer circles to pray for peace and nonviolence in their prison communities. As word catches on, people in other prison communities--religious and nonreligious—will experience the opportunity to share their experiences and to create prayer circles to decrease violence in their communities. 

The program consists of sending out a positive, affirmative, nondenominational prayer for peace that all the prayer groups in all the prisons will use. The prayer is followed by a silent meditation for the realization of peace in all prisons throughout the United States. The total time for the activity is suggested around 15-20 minutes, although the local conditions will dictate if the session runs longer.  

These prayers are carried out on a specific time and date, so that all participants are unified in a peaceful demonstration for peace and nonviolence in all prisons. Eventually, the program network will continue to grow, promoting peaceful prayer and meditation at an agreed upon time daily 365 days a year. 

A vital part of the project is for a university department to follow the effects with a statistical study, creating a rational basis to introduce prayers for peace in more communities, thereby increasing the network throughout the world, ending all violence everywhere. 

            We are submitting this proposal to the citizens of Berwyn and the surrounding communities, asking that they each contribute five dollars or more to help defray costs of mailings and to underwrite the creation/maintenance of the database that will feed and grow the network. We will also submit the idea to other faith-based organizations to get the support of the whole community to help in the realization of the final goal of peace and nonviolence everywhere through prayer. 

            We are submitting our ideas to the prison industry that privately owns many of the American prisons to help pay for our cause through grants and contributions creating a time and a space for daily reflection each day of the year throughout the prison system.  

            For further information on The Prison Peace Project and how you can get involved, call us at 708-749-8888, email us at peacemaker@thepeacecenter.info , or visit us on the web at www.thepeacecenter.info .