Mindfulness-based stress-reduction courses were offered in drug units in six Massachusetts Department of Corrections prisons. A total of 1,350 inmates completed the 113 courses. Evaluation assessments were held before and after each course, and highly significant pre-to post-course improvements were found on widely accepted self-report measures of hostility, self-esteem, and mood disturbance. Improvements for women were greater than those for men, and improvements were also greater for men in a minimum-security, pre-release facility than for those in four medium-security facilities. The results encourage further study and wider use of mindfulness-based stress reduction in correctional facilities. I ndividual criminal behavior has been attributed to an inadequate ability to effectively deal with severe stress, deprivation, and low self-esteem, and with peer pressure and the codes of behavior of groups such as gangs. These factors can be severely compounded by the injection or ingestion of drugs and alcohol, which offer the user relief from emotional discomfort by impairing or eliminating normal levels of awareness and impulse control.

Objective: The objective of this study was to describe possible changes in physical and psychologic symptoms among outpatients completing a 12-week mind-body medical symptom reduction program related to chronic medical conditions. Design: The cornerstone of the program is elicitation of the relaxation response, and the curriculum also incorporates trainings on mind-body interactions, cognitive restructuring, nutrition, and physical activity. The Medical Symptom Checklist (MSCL), Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile-II (HPLP-II) and Symptom Checklist-90R (SCL-90-R) were used to assess 331 patients' physical and psychologic symptoms before and after the intervention. Results: Significant post-treatment improvements in symptom frequency occurred for 12 individual symptoms on the MSCL, all 6 of the HPLP-II subscales, and 8 of the 9 SCL-90-R subscales from pre-to post-treatment. Conclusions:The results from this uncontrolled study suggest that a comprehensive mind-body intervention program might be useful as a complementary or adjunct therapy for treatment of chronic medical symptoms.

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