Deep Heart

Deep Heart UNBOUND is a full-color, glossy magazine created to provide mental, emotional, and spiritual support to incarcerated individuals, their families, and others facing isolation or traumatic circumstances. Designed to combat mental atrophy, encourage personal development, and support rehabilitation, UNBOUND combines graphic and photographic art with original articles, quotes, letters, and stories intended to educate, inspire, and stimulate creative and critical thinking. The publication is made possible by an estimated $75,000 annually in donated professional services including graphic design, digital interface design, content creation, public relations, and project management. It is also supported by advertisers whose services directly benefit the incarcerated population, and by donated shipping and packing materials from UPS, Walmart and Home Depot. In 2024, Deep Heart began work on the 3rd Edition of UNBOUND, scheduled for release in Fall 2025, and printed and distributed over 10,000 additional copies of the first two editions. The magazine also expanded its digital reach via Viapath tablets and through a new statewide partnership with Edovo in Indiana. In 2023, Deep Heart released the 2nd Edition, distributing 35,000 physical copies to correctional facilities nationwide. Through digital distribution platforms such as Edovo, UNBOUND is now available at no cost to over 1.2 million incarcerated individuals through facility-issued tablets in nearly every state. From September 2020 through December 2022, Deep Heart distributed more than 38,000 copies of the 1st Edition to over 260 DOC and BOP facilities, and mailed approximately 2,200 copies directly to individual inmates and their families. UNBOUND is widely regarded by incarcerated readers, their families, spiritual advisors, social workers, therapists, and correctional staff as a highly effective mental health and rehabilitation tool. Feedback has described the magazine as "an instant sensation," "exactly what we needed," "unlike anything we've seen," with facilities often requesting as many copies as possible. UNBOUND remains available in digital format on Deep Heart's website, with hard copies available by request.

Deep Heart's Outreach program provides material, emotional, and spiritual support to individuals who are incarcerated, homeless, or otherwise in need. This program serves those who have participated in one of our other programs, reached out for assistance, or personally encountered our crew. Volunteers correspond with incarcerated individuals, offering practical counseling, life-coaching, and a listening ear, as well as assisting with tasks such as contacting family members, sending reading materials, providing meals and care packages to indigent incarcerated individuals, and making small deposits into inmates' commissary accounts for basic necessities. In addition, Outreach volunteers distribute meals, hygiene supplies, and aid packages to homeless individuals, seniors, veterans, and those recently released from incarceration in the communities where Deep Heart performs. In 2024, Deep Heart's Outreach team distributed over 1,100 care and holiday packages, and organized holiday events with gifts and snacks in correctional facilities in Kansas and Oklahoma, as well as in downtown Dallas, Texas for the homeless. Additionally, we supplied over 1,000 children's books to other organizations to help them connect children to their incarcerated parents through reading, and also contributed books for literacy programs aimed at improving inmate education. In 2023, we provided care and holiday packages for more than 950 individuals, corresponded with approximately 3,300 incarcerated men and women, and provided food and snacks at 12 special events inside correctional facilities. In 2022, in addition to the previously mentioned services, we hosted a 4th of July picnic inside a Florida Department of Corrections (FL DOC) facility, contributed food for inmates at numerous events, distributed Christmas gifts and food to individuals on Skid Row, and delivered children's books (written and illustrated by Deep Heart staff) to prison libraries and charitable organizations, helping incarcerated parents connect with their children. In 2021, volunteers corresponded with approximately 3,000 inmates and materially aided an estimated 800 individuals, donating over 800 hours of service, valued at $20,320 based on the Independent Sector's estimated volunteer rate. These outreach efforts offer a critical human connection to those suffering from isolation, and the many testimonials from incarcerated individuals, such as "I don't know what I'd do without you," "I've got no one on the outside to write to," "You became my family while I'm in here," underscore the profound impact of Deep Heart Outreach.

Deep Heart's films, starting with Rise from Rubble released in June 2021, are virtual adaptations of the Deep Heart performing arts shows, combined with cinematic, inspirational, music and all-original content specifically created for use in correctional facilities as a rehabilitative tool and round-the-clock programming in keeping with our mission of providing entertainment that drives transformation. These films feature acts from Deep Heart's live performances, all with cultural, educational, and inspirational themes, alongside personal stories and messages from Deep Heart's crew. This unique combination provides prison administrators with a priceless resource in corrections. In 2024, Rise from Rubble expanded internationally, with showings in prisons across the UK, Scotland, Ireland, South Africa, Colombia, and Eastern Europe, where Deep Heart provided DVDs and USB chips to correctional facility staff during its international summer tour. Viewership also increased across the United States, particularly with the expansion of Edovo into more states and further use on CCTV. As in previous years, the Deep Heart Christmas Special was distributed to hundreds of facilities over the holiday season. In 2023, Deep Heart donated over 2,000 DVDs, along with countless digital files and USB drives, to facilities across the country for special events, activity nights, and broadcast on institutional CCTV. The films have been used extensively across California, Kansas, Arizona, and Texas, as well as in Nebraska, Ohio, Florida, and Missouri. In addition, Rise from Rubble and the Deep Heart Christmas Special are available for digital viewing on JPay and Edovo tablets for incarcerated individuals nationwide. To meet growing demand, Deep Heart is currently working on the production of its third and fourth films, both scheduled for release in Fall 2025. In 2022, the Rise from Rubble film was translated into Portuguese and adapted to Brazilian culture, where it became a widely adopted resource within Brazilian correctional facilities. In some Brazilian states, inmates could receive sentence reductions by participating in a multi-week program that involved watching Rise from Rubble, engaging in discussions, completing questionnaires, and performing acts from the film. The Deep Heart Christmas Special also saw expanded use in 2022-2023, including distribution to all Nevada Department of Corrections facilities. Feedback from inmates has been overwhelmingly positive, with many sharing how the films inspired them and brightened their holidays. Facility staff have expressed immense gratitude for this programming, which brings a sense of hope and community to the incarcerated population. Deep Heart's films are available for digital download on the Deep Heart website and can be requested in various formats via email.