690K views · Oct 8, 2013 · 52:33 · 1 HN recommender · 3 mentions · discussed 2018–2020
A documentary about Vipassana meditation in India's Tihar Prison, led by Kiran Bedi, the prison's Inspector General. It follows inmates who went through the courses and the changes they describe.
Why Hacker News points people here: Cited as evidence that meditation can work as prison reform.
“It documents the use of Vipassana as a reform measure at a harsh prison in India”HN comment, 2018
“It documents the use of Vipassana as a reform measure at a harsh prison in India”
Documentary on Vipassana used as reform at a harsh Indian prison
There is more information on the method from this documentary Doing Time, Doing Vipassana: this video It documents the use of Vipassana as a reform measure at a harsh prison in India and traces the impacts it had on some of the inmates there.
“mandatory meditation”
Cited as example of mandatory meditation for prisoners
mandatory meditation: this video for someone to just 'sit' and think about their thoughts for 10 days straight without talking, is HELL for a criminal. they are forced to confront reality, or at least their subjective version of it.
“That's just not being done enough in prisons right now.”
Cited as support for teaching meditation in prisons
Sounds like hell, the way he describes it. However, if you'd take those hellish elements away & ensure silence, I think long solitary confinement might work if you teach people how to meditate. That's just not being done enough in prisons right now. See "Doing Time, Doing Vipassana" this video EDIT: I know this is probably a controversial opinion to non-meditators, but if you're going to downvote, at least provide an argument for why you don't agree.
