Mindfulness in the Jail Program

The Mindfulness in the Jail program (MJP) aims to:

• Improve the well-being of our incarcerated population at Chaffee County Detention Facility (CCDF).
• Support them in successful re-entry into their community.
• Assist them in their efforts to be healthy, contributing community members upon their release. 

The assessments of the program show that this vulnerable and underserved population is benefiting from the classes MJP offers. We use a combination of Zoom and in-person methods for our classes.

We use a Mindfulness-Based Emotional Intelligence approach to rehabilitation and transformation and offer a 12-week research-based mindfulness program, the Path of Freedom, to those incarcerated at CCDF. These classes help with emotional regulation, impulse control, social awareness, distress tolerance, health communication, and taking responsibility for their actions. Those at CCDC who attend our classes report that they are beginning to understand the roots of their challenges, which fosters self-compassion, and a pathway forward to well-being. We also provide yoga classes to help support physical health, emotional regulation, and embodied awareness to reduce the tendency of reactivity in the face of challenging circumstances.