Reentry Program
Heart-to-Heart
Learners in jails and prisons grow, heal, and return to their communities better prepared to contribute, serve, and lead others in the way of peace.
Our Work in Correctional Facilities
Doing time in a jail or prison is one of the hardest challenges millions of Americans face. Many men and women are racked by feelings of guilt and the pain of separation from those they love. Others cry out against an unjust verdict or harsh sentence. Just surviving prison takes inner resources and outer support.
Heart-to-Heart learners in jails and prisons are doing more than surviving. They are learning, growing and healing. They are using their time to become their best self. Heart-to-Heart helps its learners develop the skills they need to heal, thrive and be the leaders they are called to be.
Nationwide, more than two-thirds of people released from prison are re-arrested after three years.
Participation in Heart-to-Heart changes these odds dramatically. Research shows that after three years, 92% of those who completed fifty hours of Heart-to-Heart learning have kept their freedom.
Classes, Workshops, and Retreats
Heart-to-Heart develops four core skills critical for navigating the transition into freedom and becoming leaders of peace. These are the MEDC (pronounced medic) skills of Mindfulness, Empathy, Decision-Making, and Conflict Transformation.
Professional facilitators, trained in Nonviolent Communication, mediation, and other healing modalities facilitate Heart-to-Heart’s unique educational therapeutic approach in correctional facilities and community settings. We have ongoing, year-long programs at:
- Boston Pre-Release Center, Roslindale, MA
- Pondville Correctional Center in Norfolk, MA
- Bayside State in Prison in Leesburg, NJ
In addition, we offer online and community based workshops, trainings, and retreats.