UNCONDITIONAL FREEDOM

Prison monastery - started in 2020, at the height of the covid-19 epidemic, the program aims to restore the penitentiary to its roots; a place to contemplate and meaningfully contribute to society while incarcerated, in the process tranforming shame into contribution. Unconditional freedom introduced a workbook, the art of soulmaking (aos), which was a guided journey through yoga, mediation, and self-inquiry practices. The workbook started inroads for the prison monastery program, providing the tools and support for individuals to approach their prison setting as a monastery. Incarcerated individuals were paired with a penpal outside the walls, a certified volunteer who also went through the workbooks and shared experiences back and forth. This program, which started with handwritten letters, is now live at over 1,200 facilities across 48 states, reaching over 170,000 incarcerated individuals, with over 7,000 letters exchanged.