The following letter was published in the edition of November 21st 1997 of the
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Natural way
Dear Sir,
The Natural Law Party’s proposal to introduce Transcendental Meditation into Winchester prison may have raised some eyebrows during the by-election, but such a step is not as radical as it may seem. A number of Judges in the US now routinely include TM as part of their sentencing prescriptions.
Schemes have been introduced in prisons in the US, the Philippines and Senegal with enormous success, with reconviction rates falling generally between 40% and 80% as a result. A proposal put to the Home Office estimated a net saving to the British prison service of £5.84 million per thousand inmates on the programme, to say nothing of reductions in the further £23 billion that crime costs business and the wider community each year.
Winchester Prison governor Mike Pascoe has expressed reservations because he believes TM takes a considerable time to learn. This is in fact incorrect as TM is taught in 4 one hour lessons, although in penitentiary conditions additional monitoring and follow-up is always provided.
TM’s previously mystical image is rapidly falling away and is now regarded as a highly effective method of combating stress in all walks of life - including politics! There has recently been a great deal of press coverage of William Hague’s regular practice of TM since the age of sixteen.
Advocates in the business world include former Chairman of ICI Sir John Harvey-Jones. General Motors in the US is now encouraging its management and workforce to practice TM in a bid to reduce stress in the work place and boost corporate performance.
A large number of papers have been published in independent scientific journals such as the Lancet detailing the benefits of TM on physical and mental health. For anyone who is interested in this area more details can be found on the Wessex Natural Law Party Internet site at: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/natural_law_wessex .
Yours etc,
John Sinel
NLP candidate, Southampton Test 1997, Winington, Fareham.
"Corrections
Today" article on new approach to criminal rehabilitation
Transforming our criminal justice system
- creating a crime free society
Research on the TM programme
Winchester by-election November 1997
