Should you teach mindfulness to sadistic criminals and evil people?

[mightywindr]

Im not sure if that would be rewarding people that deserve severe punishment.

Or does it cure them and make them better people?

Or once you are that far gone you are bad for life and you just get a taste for it ?

I certainly feel far less like hurting people and far more like helping but im not as far gone as some people are.

Not sure what the best idea is with regards to "scum"

[JonW]

Loving-kindness is a key part of mindfulness practice and involves testing the edge of our compassion, seeing how far it stretches. That doesn't mean it's a demand to extend compassion to each and everyone. It's an invitation to test that edge.
Before lockdown, I was looking into the possibility of teaching mindfulness in a nearby prison (Lewes, East Sussex). That plan is currently on hold for obvious reasons. Hopefully it will happen at some point in the future. When I do teach in prison, I'll be open to teaching anyone who is interested. I won't be making exceptions for people who have been convicted of violent crimes. Those people might benefit from mindfulness more than anyone.
That's my edge. Everyone's edge is different.

[mightywindr]

Loving-kindness is a key part of mindfulness practice and involves testing the edge of our compassion, seeing how far it stretches. That doesn't mean it's a demand to extend compassion to each and everyone. It's an invitation to test that edge.
Before lockdown, I was looking into the possibility of teaching mindfulness in a nearby prison (Lewes, East Sussex). That plan is currently on hold for obvious reasons. Hopefully it will happen at some point in the future. When I do teach in prison, I'll be open to teaching anyone who is interested. I won't be making exceptions for people who have been convicted of violent crimes. Those people might benefit from mindfulness more than anyone.
That's my edge. Everyone's edge is different.

I see so stick it to them in the most altruistic way possible, get their empathy back on board if you do help them, smart plan big man!

[JonW]

In my mentoring work and my mindfulness teaching, I've learned to leave my judgments outside the door. I'm there to mentor or I'm there to teach, sometimes both. I would teach a murderer the same way as I would teach anyone else. I'm not saying I'd find it so easy if it was my child they'd murdered. Hopefully I'll never have to cross that bridge.

[Meadow]

Some years ago my brother killed his neighbors with his deer hunting rifle. It launched me, our loving parents, my sister and his immediate family into chaos. It was horrendous. We had gone to church with two of the four people he killed. I lost everything I'd ever believed in. My husband at the time was ashamed of me because of what my brother had done. Between the fundamentalism we were raised with which taught us that we were not worth anything and the six anti-psychotic drugs his doctors gave him, his mind was fried. Mindfulness could not have reached him. He died in prison of natural causes several years ago.

There is a story behind each inmate. They cannot be lumped together. They are people first. In working it all through I became an author. I became a better person. I eventually turned to finding peace. One way to do that is through meditation. I hope to better learn how to do this through mindfulness.

[JonW]

Welcome to the forum, Meadow, and thank you for your post.
If you have any questions about mindfulness, we'll be happy to try and answer them here on the forum. Otherwise, please feel free to share any thoughts you may have about the practice.
All good things,
Jon

[Meadow]

Thank you JonW. I thought I would receive notification when someone replied to my post. None came to me.

[JonW]

Hi Meadow.
I'm not sure whether we have a notification facility. I'll check with the team.
Btw, I'm the blog editor on this site. If you ever fancy writing something for us, please holler my way.
All best wishes,
Jon