FEATURE: Japan prisons turn to mindfulness to help rehabilitate inmates

"Breathe in through your nose, then breathe out. Breathe in again, and slowly exhale."Three inmates followed the instructions during a meditation session at Okazaki Medical Prison in central Japan, part of a trial using mindfulness to help prisoners better manage their thoughts and emotions.The practice, which uses techniques including yoga and meditation to calm the mind, is gradually spreading through juvenile correctional facilities and prisons in Japan, with hopes that it can also help prevent reoffending.Mindfulness could take on a greater role following a major change to Japan's penal…READ FULL ARTICLE