Teaching Path of Freedom in Prisons
and Correctional Settings

Path of Freedom was originally developed for incarcerated people and has been shared in many correctional settings for over twenty years. We are grateful for the many volunteers, facilitators, chaplains, educators, and community members who have helped bring mindfulness-based emotional intelligence practices into prisons, jails, and reentry communities.

At the same time, correctional systems are changing. Each prison, jail, Department of Corrections, volunteer office, or sponsoring organization has its own approval process, requirements, background checks, policies, and restrictions. Some facilities may require volunteers or programs to be affiliated with an approved organization and to have a formal Memorandum of Understanding, Memorandum of Agreement, contract, or other institutional approval.

Because of this, PMI is clarifying the difference between learning the Path of Freedom curriculum and being authorized to represent Path of Freedom in a correctional setting.

About This Course

The Intro Path of Freedom: Foundations Training is an online introduction course on the Path of Freedom. It is designed to introduce participants to the curriculum, its core principles, practices, and teaching themes.

This course may be taken for your own personal learning, reflection, and understanding of the Path of Freedom materials. Many people take the course for personal growth, professional enrichment, or to better understand mindfulness-based emotional intelligence work with incarcerated and system-impacted communities.

The Online Intro Course is not a Certification Program

Completion of this course does not certify participants as Path of Freedom teachers. It also does not authorize participants to represent Prison Mindfulness Institute, Path of Freedom, or any affiliated organization in a prison, jail, Department of Corrections, reentry program, or other institutional setting.

Participants may state that they completed an online intro course on the Path of Freedom through Prison Mindfulness Institute. They may not describe themselves as certified, authorized, sponsored, supervised, endorsed, or legally represented by PMI unless PMI has provided that authorization in writing.

Facility Access Is Not Guaranteed

Completion of this course (or any of PMI's courses/trainings) does not guarantee access to any prison, jail, Department of Corrections, volunteer program, or correctional facility.

Each correctional facility has its own approval process. This may include background checks, volunteer training, security clearance, institutional orientation, program review, chaplaincy approval, education department approval, central office approval, or a formal agreement with an approved organization.

Graduates of this course may independently explore volunteer opportunities, subject to the facility or organization's approval and requirements. However, PMI does not control facility approval processes and cannot guarantee that any applicant or graduate will be allowed to volunteer or facilitate in a correctional setting.

PMI Sponsorship Is Separate from Course Completion

PMI sponsorship means that PMI is formally taking responsibility for a program or facilitator in a specific context. This may involve legal agreements, insurance considerations, reporting requirements, program fidelity expectations, supervision or consultation, facility coordination, and organizational accountability.

Completion of this online introduction course does not create PMI sponsorship. Unless PMI has entered into a separate written agreement, participants are not sponsored, supervised, certified, endorsed, or legally represented by PMI.

Use of Path of Freedom Materials

Use of Path of Freedom materials is subject to separate agreements regarding curriculum use and program fidelity expectations.

Path of Freedom is not simply a collection of mindfulness exercises or a general platform for prison programming. It is a specific curriculum with a view, structure, method, and purpose.

We recognize that facilitators bring many valuable skills, experiences, and perspectives to this work. However, when offering Path of Freedom, facilitators are expected to offer Path of Freedom—not a personally redesigned program using the Path of Freedom name.

Path of Freedom materials may not be used as a general umbrella for independently designed coaching, therapy, trauma-processing groups, spiritual teaching, restorative justice programs, personal development programs, or hybrid curricula presented under the Path of Freedom name.

Summary

The online introduction course on the Path of Freedom: Cultivating Mindfulness-Based Emotional Intelligencemay be taken for personal learning and understanding of the materials.
The intro course is not a certification program.
It does not guarantee access to prisons or jails.
It does not authorize participants to represent PMI or Path of Freedom. See the "Training Pathway" for details
PMI sponsorship requires separate written approval.
Use of Path of Freedom materials is subject to separate curriculum use and program fidelity agreements.

Teaching Path of Freedom in Prisons and Correctional Settings