Contemplative practices and the movement toward a more just criminal legal system.
The American journal of orthopsychiatry February 17, 2025 Daniel W Grupe, Sophia Diamantis, Carmen Alonso 1 citation
Contemplative practices like mindfulness can support justice in the criminal legal system, but their impact depends on the ethical framework and context. Over eight years of research with police officers and incarcerated individuals—both groups traumatized by an unjust system—qualitative interviews with officers suggest that focusing too much on individual resilience may limit interpersonal benefits and critical awareness of systemic injustice. Community advisors recommend that police training be more responsive to community concerns. An advisory board of formerly incarcerated individuals advises that mindfulness can best support community reentry by foregrounding shared humanity. To advance justice, practitioners must be explicit about ethics, target individuals and organizations capable of systems change, and emphasize shared humanity over perceived differences.