Offered at the Monroe County Jail, Houses of Healing focuses on inmate
self-awareness and emotional healing to understand “How did I get here?” and “Where do I really want to go?”
Each program at the jail is guided by one or two volunteers and involves a two-hour session held weekly for eight weeks. Inmates voluntarily participate and can join during any session of a scheduled series.
The program is built on the book Houses of Healing, A Prisoner’s Guide to Inner Power and Freedom by Robin Casarjian M.A., educator, consultant and writer, based on courses she taught for seven years in prisons in Massachusetts. The book is designed as a resource to help incarcerated men and women interrupt lifetime patterns of violence and addiction so they can lead more productive lives.
“It’s one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself, to forgive. Forgive everybody.”
– Maya Angelou
Written for adult prisoners, Houses of Healing emphasizes four spiritual truths:
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I am LOVED and I am LOVEABLE.
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I am WORTHY of RESPECT and ACCEPTANCE.
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My true nature is fundamentally GOOD and BEAUTIFUL.
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I am NEEDED in helping to HEAL the world.
One of our longtime volunteers, who taught for 25 years in a New York university criminal justice program, calls both the book and accompanying materials “very powerful.” He adds, “I hear the men talk about their lives as they try to understand themselves and the baggage they are carrying. It is very moving. Almost all of them have had traumas most of us have never had.”
Volunteer relays a story of the effects of childhood wounds.
Another retired educator and volunteer says through the program inmates come to realize what they learned to do in order to survive difficult childhood experiences tend not to be behaviors that work as one grows up. Or, put another way, “As I become aware of how my childhood experiences / relationships have shaped my behaviors, thoughts and feelings, I am more aware of the choices before me. And I have the power to make choices that will make my life better for myself and others.”
Want more information on getting involved? Contact us.