Up from Rock Bottom: The TSA Prison Program

 

Sometimes a person who has made a series of bad choices needs to hit rock bottom before meaningful change is possible. What constitutes “rock bottom” for many is going to prison. Suddenly your life changes in stark and unimaginable ways: your freedom is sharply curtailed; your so-called friends fade away; your family may cut all ties. You are thrust into a strange and hostile environment, often one that is dangerous, but at the very least dark, dreary, and monotonous.

 

Those who are weak-willed succumb to the circumstances, leaving prison—if they leave at all—as damaged and broken souls. Others, who are opportunistic and accustomed to using brute force to achieve their ends, see prison as a means of furthering their life of crime, becoming more bestial and unfeeling as they lose any remaining shreds of humanity.

 

Then there are the repentant ones, who use the enforced isolation to engage in serious soul-searching: How did I arrive at this deplorable juncture? How do I change my patterns of thinking, which set me on this downward trajectory? It is to this last group that the Theosophical Society in America directs its prison outreach efforts. 

 

The TSA Prison Program is very active and touches the lives of hundreds of prisoners. It is not the first of its kind. Members of the Society have been engaged in prison outreach for decades. The November 1913 issue of The Messenger featured the “Report of the Twenty-Seventh Annual Convention of the American Theosophical Society,” which included a report from the Prison Work Bureau. Its stated purpose was “to teach prisoners the principles of Theosophy by corresponding with them, and to direct their thoughts into new channels that may prove uplifting and beneficial.”

 

Some famous Theosophists have been involved in prison outreach. For example, the October 1929 issue of The American Theosophist published a transcription of a talk given by C. Jinarajadasa to prisoners in San Jose, Costa Rica. Jinarajadasa, who was a polyglot, spoke to prisoners in their native tongue in Central and South America and elsewhere.

 

In spite of the normal ebbs and flows of the Prison Program through successive administrations, somehow the work continued. The August 1952 issue of The American Theosophist included the annual report of President James Perkins, who noted that the department of information had been supporting prisoners by sending books and pamphlets. And the January 1983 issue of The American Theosophist reported, “Dora Kunz, our president, visited the maximum-security Stateville Prison in Joliet, Illinois,” where she discussed the TSA’s Prison Program with officials. 

 

When I was hired in 2003 to work as the TSA’s director of education, the Prison Program had dwindled to one mentor: a dear lady from Milwaukee whose only resource was the old Emogene Simons course in basic Theosophy. After failing health forced her to retire, I made it my goal to restore and expand the program. I had already been corresponding with prisoners in Wisconsin as a member of the Milwaukee Lodge, and I found that I had a knack for it.

 

Today we have twenty members who volunteer their time and expertise to serve as prison mentors. For them it is a labor of love. When more mentors are needed, I have never had a problem finding them. In fact, many members come to me and ask if they could participate.

 

I began adding new courses to the prison curriculum, and today we have over fifteen, which are classified as introductory, intermediate, or advanced. Topics are varied and include basic and advanced Theosophy, the spiritual path, reincarnation, and the three fundamental propositions of The Secret Doctrine, as well as studies based on the letters of the Stoic philosopher Seneca, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, selected essays by Francis Bacon, and Emerson’s essay on the Oversoul.

 

Correspondence from prisoners is screened before it is sent to their mentors, who return the paperwork to the prisoner with comments, suggestions, and encouragement. I have an effective system in place that protects the privacy of the mentors and their families from unwanted solicitations. Additionally, I carefully screen prisoners before allowing them to participate. Even with twenty mentors or more, we cannot respond to all the numerous requests received, so criteria have had to be established in order to make wise use of our limited resources.

 

When the prisoner completes his or her final lesson of a course, an elegant certificate of completion is issued. To date we have issued nearly 500 certificates.

 

How have these efforts affected the lives of prisoners? I think the prisoners’ own words say it best. Martin in California said, “The work you do is not only my lifeline, but the lifeline of numerous others in here.” Janet from Illinois wrote, “The courses have definitely had a positive impact on my life during this difficult time of incarceration.” David, from a maximum security prison in Indiana, had this to say: “You shine a very bright light into a very dark place. There are long periods of time where if it weren’t for the Theosophical Society, I wouldn’t receive any mail at all.” Finally, Peter, who was released from a prison in New York, expressed his gratitude this way: “I was just released two weeks ago after 37 years of incarceration. First I would like to thank you and the TSA for the support and educational opportunities. I anticipate some reentry challenges with employment and social assimilation, but I remain committed to the theosophical lifestyle.”

 

This is just a small sampling of the numerous positive comments we receive from incarcerated individuals. The outreach doesn’t just affect the prisoners taking the courses. Theosophical books that are sent to a prisoner often exchange hands. One book may be read by three, four, or more inmates.

 

Lastly, I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that the program also has a very positive effect upon the mentors. They feel they are making a difference in the life of human beings, and they derive great joy and satisfaction from sharing the transformative ideas of the wisdom tradition with those who have lost their way in life and hit rock bottom. 

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David P. Bruce is national secretary of the TSA and director of its Prison Program.