ISKCON Prison Ministry

Mission Statement

The mission of IPM is to spread Lord Caitanya's mercy to the fallen souls of Kali-yuga who find themselves within a prison of the prison house of the material world. 

Beliefs

IPM believes that the only cure for society's ills, both for individual persons and as a whole, is the process of bhakti-yoga.  By reading Srila Prabhupada's books, following the four regulations, abstinence from meat-eating, gambling, intoxication, and illicit sex, and by chanting the maha-mantra,  Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, even a criminal can become a perfect citizen.

The means which I have adopted is spiritual and it works quicker than any material means.  If you give me chance to speak to all the members in jail, it is quite possible for me to turn them into ideal characters.

Srila Prabhupada, Letter to Sri Puri, 1962 

Goal

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada established the ISKCON movement to spread the process of bhakti-yoga (love and devotion to God) to the entire world.  IPM desires to make this transcendental process available to even the inmates of the world, giving them the chance to go back to Godhead.

Our Work

IPM preaches the philosophy of Bhagavad-gita to inmates to develop spiritual knowledge. Volunteers accomplish this by:

• writing inmates and establishing spiritual relationships,
• distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books to inmates and prison libraries,
• providing inmates with Back to Godhead magazines, japa beads, and other devotional items,
• assisting inmate in securing vegetarian diets, and
• providing devotee association by visiting inmates in the prisons.

Principles

• IPM volunteers should display and encourage the qualities of compassion, humility, tolerance, steadfastness, sincerity, and courteousness.
• Volunteers should give prompt replies that never compromise the philosophy of Krishna consciousness while avoiding unnecessary tension/arguments arising from other faiths or philosophies.
• The relationships that volunteers and inmates build are strictly on a spiritual basis.  IPM's only responsibility is to promote Krishna consciousness.
• The transcendental knowledge that volunteers pass along comes with responsibility.  We will not abandon sincere inmates and we will assist them in continuing their practice upon their release.