Whether it is Zonderwater Prison in South Africa, Tihar Jail in India, Ezeiza Prison in Argentina, Montgomery County Jail in Maryland, Dominguez Jail in Texas, or Yulin First Prison in Taiwan, there are dedicated teams of TPRF volunteers around the world conducting peace education workshops for the incarcerated. The name and format in each country may differ—whether it is called a Life Education Course in Taiwan or Inner Peace Workshop in Texas—but the essential content is the same. It is Prem Rawat’s message that peace is a fundamental human need and anyone can discover it

because the experience of peace is found within. 

Armed with TPRF event videos or “Words of Peace” DVDs and printed articles published by TPRF, such as the Ancient Wisdom Series graphic articles, introductory booklets, or ADI magazines, volunteers walk quietly through locked doors each week, past clanging cells and vigilant guards, to bring hope to the inmates. Some of these programs are just starting; many have been going on since 2007.

In 2010, Prem Rawat responded to an invitation from prison inmates and officials to speak at the Ezeiza Women’s Prison in Argentina. “I have something very, very special to tell you,” he told the women. “There is hope every single day of your life. Maybe you think there are barriers here, but do you know that there are people who you think are free and they are not? Look within you because the fight is within you and the resolution is within you. The bad is within you, the good is within you. Nurture it.”

Hundreds of letters have come from these inmates expressing their gratitude. Prison officials are sending heartfelt invitations to Prem Rawat to visit their facility, seeing an obvious change in attitude and behavior of prisoners. Some prisoners have even been sending DVDs to their friends in other prisons, and now an unlikely message is spreading through notoriously violent penal institutions — peace can be felt even in prison.

TPRF is planning to highlight these initiatives, sharing the wealth of stories of lives transformed. Look for upcoming articles about what is happening and what inmates and staff have to say about these workshops. If you are participating in a prison initiative, please email TPRF (Peace Education Programs) about your program.

Photo by Steve Steurer, Correctional Education Association (CEA)