Correctional Facilities Programming 

Heart-to-Heart

Learners in jails and prisons learn, grow, heal, and use their time to become their best selves.

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 tell us they are doing more than surviving. They are learning, growing, healing and 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, 68% of the general population returned to prison after three years.

Only 18% of Heart-to-Heart participants who completed 50 hours or more of learning have returned to prison.

Classes, Workshops, and Retreats

Heart-to-Heart develops four core skills critical for navigating the transition into freedom: Mindfulness, Empathy, Decision-Making, and Conflict Resolution​ (MEDC).

Professional facilitators with extensive training in Nonviolent Communication, and meditation teach Heart-to-Heart classes in a number of locations:

  • Bayside State in Prison in Maurice River Township, NJ
  • Pondville Correctional Center in Norfolk, MA

In addition, we offer practice groups and workshops in New Jersey and the Philadelphia area and online.

Programs and Services:

  • MEDC (mindfulness, empathy, decision-making and conflict transformation) training, based on
  • Nonviolent Communication
  • Meditation
  • Retreats and workshops offering pathways to healing