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  • Home
  • About
    • Mission, Vision & Values
      • Our Impact
    • Our Spiritual Advisors
    • PMI Staff & Board
    • Our History
    • Our Supporters
    • Annual Reports
    • Testimonials
  • Projects
    • Books Behind Bars
    • Path of Freedom
      • POF Newsletters
    • Prison Programs
    • Prison Dharma Press
    • Research
    • Get Involved
  • Donate
    • Donate Books
  • Resources
    • Books Behind Bars
    • Meditation Kits
    • Volunteer Tips
    • Photo Galleries
      • Prisoner Artwork
      • Envelope Art
    • Network Map
  • Blog
  • Community
  • Contact

Books Behind Bars

We have distributed over 61,000 books on mindfulness, meditation, and Buddhism to prisoners through this project since 1989. Prisoners send us a constant flow of thank you letters telling us how even one book has radically changed their life. For most prisoners, books are the only access they have to dharma teachings. All books donated are donated to us by people like you.

 “During my time in prison, like most prisoners, I’ve done a lot of reflecting on my life.  Like anyone else, in prison or out, I’ve had high and low points, pleasure and pain.  But one thing that’s remained constant since my teens is loneliness.” ~Prisoner Tommy M.

Read the article “Books Changed My Life” by Tommy M, prisoner.

Map of U.S. Prisons Served

A map of many of the prisons we have served through our Books Behind Bars Project:

View U.S. Prisoners Served by PMI in a larger map

Family Members If you are a family member of a prisoner who would like books, please use this contact form to send us an email.

Books Behind Bars for Chaplains and Prison Libraries PMI also provides bulk shipments of books on meditation, Buddhism, and other contemplative practices and teachings from the world’s great faith and wisdom traditions to prison chaplains and prison libraries. If you are a chaplain or prison librarian and would like us to send you books, please use this contact form to send us a message.

Book Donations

Paperbacks only please!

NO magazines!

NO CDs!

Prisons do not accept these items.

If you would like to send us books, please use this contact form to send us a message. Please let us know what type of books you have to offer and we will email you back with information on where to send them.
Books on beginning meditation or mindfulness practice (examples: Pema Chodron, Joseph Goldstein, Jack Kornfield, Sharon Salzberg, Cheri Huber, Jon-Kabat Zinn, etc) are needed most. We also have several requests for books on yoga (ones with drawn illustrations are best).
Thanks!

Our Spiritual Advisors

News

“It Spreads Like Wildfire”: The Coronavirus Comes to New York’s Prisons

24 Mar 2020

Dennis on Conflict & Violence

26 Nov 2019

Why Offer Mindfulness in Jail?

23 Jul 2019

Mindfulness and meditation used to cut crime and reduce 'gate fever' in Australia

16 Jul 2019

How Norway turns criminals into good neighboors

08 Jul 2019

Donate!

Please join us in transforming lives by helping to expand and nurture the growing prison mindfulness movement.
Prison Dharma Network (Prison Mindfulness Institute) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) Massachusetts corporation.
All U.S. donations are tax deductible.
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