Effect of Vipassana Meditation on Quality of life, Subjective well-being, and Criminal Propensity among inmates of Tihar jail, Delhi

Final report submitted to Vipassana Research Institute by
Dr Amulya Khurana and Prof. P. L. Dhar
Indian Institute of Technology,New Delhi-110016
June 2000

Executive Summary:

 
This study aimed at investigating the effect of Vipassana Meditation (VM) on Quality of Life (QOL), Subjective Well-Being (SWB), and Criminal Propensity (CP) among inmates of Tihar Jail, Delhi. To this effect the following hypotheses were formulated.

 
1. There will be a significant positive effect of VM on the QOL of inmates of Tihar jail.

 
2. VM will have a positive and significant effect on SWB of inmates.

 
3. Criminal propensity (CP) of inmates will decrease significantly after attending the VM course.

 
4. There will be significant difference in SWB and CP of experimental (Vipassana) group and control (non-Vipassana) group.

 
5. Male and female inmates will differ significantly in SWB and CP, as a result of VM.

The total sample comprised 262 inmates (males = 232, female = 30). A series of 5 studies were conducted using both before-and-after as well as control group experimental designs.

 
The independent variable was Vipassana meditation. The dependent variables were: Quality of life (QOL), Subjective Well-Being (SWB), and Criminal Propensity (CP). Life Satisfaction Scale (PGI, Chandigarh), Subjective Well-Being Scale (Nagpal & Sell, 1985), and Criminal Propensity Scale (Sanyal & Kathpalia, 1999) were used to collect data. Student's 't' test
was used for data analysis.

 
The following conclusions represent the findings of the study:

 
1. The first hypothesis did not come as was expected. Since the questionnaire was difficult for the prisoners to understand, this questionnaire was dropped from the later studies.

 
2. The second and third hypothesis were accepted since the level of criminal propensity came down and that of subjective well being went up after the inmates attended the Vipassana meditation courses.

 
3. The fourth hypothesis was also accepted, as the experimental (Vipassana) group's CP decreased and SWB increased significantly as compared to control (non-Vipassana) group, among male inmates.

 
4. VM seems to have similar effect on SWB and CP of participants irrespective of their gender.
Thus, the fifth hypothesis was not accepted as the male and female inmates did not differ significantly in SWB and CP, as a result of VM.

 
The results obtained supported the hypotheses to a large extent, though not all the results are significant. Vipassana meditation significantly improved Subjective well being and reduced Criminal propensity of inmates of Tihar Jail.

Acknowledgements

 

We thankfully acknowledge the help received from the following:
Shri S.N.Goenka, the main force behind Vipassana movement in India and abroad. Vipassana Research Institute, Mumbai, for financial support Vipassana Sadhana Sansthan, Delhi for general support.
 
We would like to express our gratitude to The Addl DG (prisons) Mr. Ajay Agarwal, DIG (prisons) Mr. Jaidev Sarangi, the Superintendents and the Deputy Superintendents of Jails, No 1, 4, and 5 for their kind cooperation which enabled
us to conduct this study.

 
We would also like to express our sincere thanks to Mr. Pravin Bhalla, Mr. Ajit Gupta, Mrs. Laj Tandon, Mrs. Sushila Dhar, and Mrs. Tanushree Tripathy for helping in data collection.
Thanks are also due to Mr. Bibhudutta Baral, who worked as a Project Associate in this study, for his assistance in data collection, data analysis and preparation of the project report.
And last, but not the least, to all those inmates of Tihar Jail who participated in the study and filled out the lengthy questionnaires ungrudgingly, we express our heartfelt thanks and wish that they would come out of their suffering through the practice of Vipassana.

(Amulya Khurana) (P. L. Dhar)
Associate Professor Professor & Head
Dept. of Humanities and Social Sciences Dept. of Mechanical Engineering
IIT, Delhi IIT, Delhi

 

Contents

 

1. Introduction
1.1. Review of Literature
1.2. Vipassana meditation: An introduction
2. About the study
2.1. Objectives
2.2. Hypotheses
3. Method of Study
3.1. Research design
3.2. Sample
3.3. Tools
3.4. Statistical analysis
4. Results and Discussion
5. Conclusion
6. Limitations of Study
7. Suggestions for future Research
8. References

Appendices

 

 

Introduction

 

Crimes are acts that are forbidden and punished by law; these acts may threaten the well- being of the society, or injure any of its members. People are most likely to commit a criminal act between the age of fifteen and twenty five years. Imprisonment is a method of dealing with people who commit crimes by confining them to a fortified boundary with certain strict rules for all - that
is, the prison. Crime, like any other action of the body, is a manifestation of thoughts in the mind.
 
Crime has come to be regarded as essentially a social problem, and retribution as the object of improvement is discarded. Detention as an objective of imprisonment is also very limited in scope. Reformation of the offender is being regarded as an ultimate aim of the prison sentence. Rehabilitation of the criminals has become one of the most important objectives of the jail
authorities. Apart from the criminal aspect, many inmates manifest mental disorders in prison as a result of stresses of incarceration. The stresses behind the bars include separation from their family members, over crowding, sensory deprivation, exposure to a high-density of hard-core offenders and a variety of uncertainties, fear, and frustrations. The period of trial is of great stress to the individual. Loss of social status, uncertainty of outcome of the trial, fear of punishment, staying in an unusual place like police station or jail and the financial upsets harass the individual. If the trial period is prolonged for months or years which is very common, then the undertrial's mental condition becomes bad. The hard life in the prison further aggravates the situation. The undertrial's quality of life and subjective well-being are seriously affected by aforesaid conditions in the prison.

 
Psychological factors such as frustration, hostility, and feelings of helplessness might be the cause or the consequence of criminal behaviour and in some cases, both. Prison reform measures should lead to some reduction in inmate's feelings of hostility, helplessness and other negative emotions. Vipassana is being practiced in Tihar jail as a prison reform measure with the
ultimate goal of prevention of crime and reintegration of prisoners into mainstream society following their discharge from prison. An unfavourable attitude towards law may be responsible for criminal behaviour and needs to be corrected in the course of reforms. On many occasions it is the feeling of alienation from the mainstream life which results from a misfit of individual goals
with cultural norms and it might result in criminal activities.
 
Since Vipassana (VM) is believed to be a technique that facilitates deeper psychological introspection and to bring about lasting behavioural changes, it was considered worth while to assess some of these changes in a scientific manner. The main aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of Vipassana meditation on Subjective Well-Being and Criminal Propensity
of Tihar Jail inmates. The study has been conducted on both male (adolescent) and female inmates. Also one of the goals was to see the overall psychological bearing of Vipassana meditation on prison inmates.
 
Vipassana is a genuine non-sectarian methodology for mind control and purification. The question arises what for Vipassana be practised in prison. Prison life is a cursed life. In traditional sense, it is the worst life in every sense. It blocks the overall unfolding of personality. It takes away freedom from the individual. For the inmates life inside prison is bizarre, torturous, painful, unhealthy, suffocating and slave like. The purpose is to make prison life better, to add a humanistic dimension to it, to help the inmates introspect and examine themselves and possibly understand the purpose of life better. Vipassana as a meditational technique is dedicated to fulfill these higher goals of life. It is believed that Vipassana has a great role to play in transforming prison life.
 
The positive impact of Vipassana on various aspects of mental health and personality has been reported in a number of studies and it was therefore expected that similar results would come in the case of inmates.
 
The technique of Vipassana is basically a path leading to freedom from all sufferings: it uproots craving, aversion and ignorance, which are the basic cause for all our miseries. Those who practise it remove , little by little, the root causes of their sufferings and steadily emerge from the darkness of former tensions to lead happy, healthy, productive lives. There are many examples bearing testimony to this fact. Several experiments have been conducted at prisons in India. In 1975, Goenkaji conducted a course for 120 inmates at the Central Jail in Jaipur, the first such experiment in Indian penal history. This course was followed in 1976 by a course for senior police officers at the Government Police Academy in Jaipur. In 1977, a second course was held at the Jaipur Central Jail. These courses were the subject of several sociological studies conducted by the University of Rajasthan. In 1990, another course was organised in Jaipur Central Jail in which forty life-term convicts and ten jail officials participated with positive results. In 1991, a course for life-sentence prisoners was held at the Savaramati Central Jail, Ahmedabad, and was
the subject of a research project by the Dept. of Education, Gujrat Vidyapeeth. The Rajasthan and Gujrat studies indicated definite positive changes in the attitude and behaviour of the participants, and showed that Vipassana is a positive reform measure enabling criminals to become wholesome members of society.
 
Vipassana was introduced in Tihar Jail in November 1993 when the first course was organized in Central Jail No. 2, where 96 convicts and 20 staff/officers of jail participated. Its success led to a succession of courses, including the largest ever Vipassana course of over 1000 prisoners in April 1994. This was followed by setting up of a regular Vipassana centre inside
Central Jail No. 4, where two courses are held every month till date. A detailed investigation into effect of Vipassana on inmates was undertaken under the aegis of department of Psychiatry, AIIMS in 1994 and its results were very encouraging. Two
studies were carried out in 1994. The first study was carried out on 120 subjects in January 1994.
 
The dimensions studied were well being, hostility, hope, helplessness, personality, psychopathy and in the case of psychiatric disorders, anxiety and depression. It was followed by another study which was carried out in April 1994 on 150 subjects. The sample consisted of two groups: one group of 85 subjects who attended a 10 day Vipassana course and the other group of 65 who did not. The dimensions studied were anomie, attitude to law, personality and psychiatric illness.
 
Immediately after the course, the subjects were found to be less hostile towards their environment and felt less helpless. The psychiatric patients, constituting about 23% of the total sample, reported good improvement in their anxiety and depressive symptoms. Subjects without any psychological symptoms also reported improvement in the form of enhanced well being and a
sense of hope for the future. Their sense of alienation from the mainstream life, though unchanged immediately after the course, was found to be lower after three months. The follow-up evaluations at three and six month intervals revealed further improvement on many of these dimensions. The Vipassana Research Institute has documented other examples of the positive
impact of Vipassana in such fields as health, education, drug addiction, and business management.

 

1.1 Review of Literature:

 
A number of studies have been carried out to investigate prison life. A brief description of these studies is given below.

 
Krishna (1993) reports the presence of neuroticism, anxiety, extraversion, and morality guilt among adolescents who are high on delinquent behaviour. She says that there are positive relationships between delinquent behaviour and these personality factors. Osofsky (1996) reveals the presence of certain psychological or personality factors exhibited by prisoners and the
importance of these in creating more stress within the prisons. These factors are neuroticism, anxiety, aggression, hostility, and guilt. It has been found that severe psychopathological emotion is higher in adolescents exhibiting higher degree of offences. Ahmad (1988) has also reported that meditators show overall better adjustment and personality organization than non-meditators.

 
 According to Aminabhai (1996) Yoga training leads to highly significant improvement in subject's mental health. Deepak, Manchanda, and Maheswari (1994) have reported that continuous meditation can substantially improve the clinico-electroencephalographic measures in drug resistant epileptics. Jhansi, and Rao (1996) have investigated the role of practicing
Transcendental Meditation (TM) in improving the attention regulation capacity of its practitioners. Their study reveals greater attention regulation capacity among TM practitioners compared to their counterparts, due to the regular cognitive exercises involved in meditation practice. Jin (1992) has observed the efficacy of Tai chi, a moving meditation, in reducing mood
disturbance caused by mental/emotional stressors. Yoga is claimed to endow perfect physical, mental and social well being of an individual. A series of research investigations have revealed that there are many beneficial effects of yoga, which would help in the stress management (Selvamurthy, 1993). Yoga and meditation can contribute positively to various cognitive
processes, including perception and in turn, on Subjective Well-being, Quality of Life and Criminal Propensity. Vipassana is a particular technique of self-examination, a scientific method of self-observation that results in the total purification of the mind and the highest happiness of full liberation (Vipassana Research Institute, 1990).
 
Chandiramani, Verma, Dhar, and Aggarwal (1994) have studied the psychological effects of Vipassana meditation (VM) on Tihar jail inmates. They report that VM brought significant improvement in psychological parameters like sense of hope and well-being. There has been considerable reduction in the neurotic predisposition, hostility and feelings of helplessness
reported by the prisoners. Mahendram, Kumariah, Mishra, and Baroohi (1998) have observed that VM is effective in reducing tension headache. Venkantesh, Pal, Negi, Verma, Sapru, and Verma (1994) have observed that yoga practitioners, both males and females, have more positive attitude towards yoga than control group males and females. Control group showed higher neurotic trend, and yoga group showed significantly higher scores on social desirability. The authors have also found that Life event scores (past one year) were significantly less in yoga practitioners. Khurana (1996, 1999) conducted field experiments using 'before and after' design to find out the effect of VM on Quality of Life (QOL) and Subjective Well-being (SWB) of undertrials, in Tihar jail. She found positive effect on VM on QOL and SWB of undertrials, though not significant. Therefore, she recommended that control group design should be used in further study. Chaudhary (1999) investigated the effectiveness of Vipassana meditation, as a technique of stress management and reformation among adolescent prisoners. In her study, Chaudhary reported that both state anxiety and trait anxiety reduced significantly among adolescents who had done the Vipassana course. She also reported that there was a decrease in aggression among undertrial prisoners who had undergone Vipassana course. There was an increase in the feelings of positive emotions such as, hopefulness, self control, conformity, and compassion, was more after practicing Vipassana, as compared to non-practitioners of Vipassana.

 
According to Chandiramani et al (1995), Vipassana meditation emphasizes both conscious life style changes in the area of morality and deeper psychological analysis, which alters the contents and the processes of the mind in fundamental ways. Vipassana meditation courses have been found to bring out many positive changes in the behaviour of jail inmates
(Shah, 1976; Unnithan & Ahuja, 1977; Hammersley & Creganj, 1986). On the basis of clinical experience, Chandiramani et al (1995) have stated that mild to moderately severe neurotic cases of anxiety, depression and adjustment problems show complete recovery as a result of Vipassana. They also reported that there was considerable reduction in the neurotic predisposition, hostility and feelings of helplessness reported by the prisoners; while the sense of hope and well being
were enhanced, following Vipassana courses. On the basis of the above review of research, it is assumed that Vipassana will have a significant positive effect on the Quality of Life, Subjective Well-being, and Criminal Propensity of undertrials.

 
1.2 Vipassana Meditation: An Introduction

 
Vipassana is an ancient meditation technique rediscovered by Gautama the Buddha, about 2500 years ago. It is currently being taught in India and several other countries under the guidance of Shri S. N. Goenka, the principal teacher of Vipassana. It promotes conscious lifestyle changes, enhances concentration of mind and facilitates deeper psychological introspection to
bring about lasting behavioural changes.

 
Vipassana means "insight" - seeing things as they really are. To learn this technique one is required to take a ten day residential course under a qualified teacher. To begin with, one has to take a vow of observing certain rules of moral conduct (sila). These are: abstention from killing any sentient being, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and taking any intoxicant. This first step
itself is likely to initiate positive changes in prisoners. The second component of this training is called Anapana, i.e., awareness of respiration. This involves continuous "observation" of the natural flow of incoming and outgoing breath. Gradually the mind gets concentrated on this natural activity and the person can exercise greater control over his mind. It promotes awareness of the present moment, equanimity and tranquillity of mind, since the act of breathing is free from any craving or aversion.

 

The third step called development of pañña or wisdom - involves purification of mind through enhanced awareness. The individual engages himself in choiceless and effortless observation of body sensations and tries to develop and attitude of non-judgement and non- reaction. This practice has a corrective influence on deep-rooted habits. Whatever arises in the mind, be it anger, fear, insecurity, passion or sadness, is associated with certain internal body sensations. Observing these sensations in a detached/impersonal manner helps the individual handle these emotions.
 
People from different backgrounds have undergone residential courses of Vipassana and found it of practical value in everyday life. For the duration of the retreat, students remain within the course site, having no contact with the outside world. They refrain from reading and writing, and suspend any religious practices or other disciplines. They follow a rigorous daily schedule
which includes about ten hours of sitting meditation. They also observe silence, not communicating with fellow students: however, they are free to discuss issues concerning meditation with the teacher and any material problems with the management.
The observation of rules of moral conduct allows the mind to calm down sufficiently to proceed with the task at hand. Secondly, for the first three-and-a-half days, students practise Anapana meditation, focusing attention on the breath. This practise helps to develop control over the unruly mind. These first two steps of living a wholesome life and developing control of the mind are necessary and beneficial, but are incomplete unless the third step is taken: purifying the mind of underlying negativities. This third step, undertaken for the last six-and-a-half days, is the practise of Vipassana: one penetrates one's entire physical and mental structure with the clarity of insight.
 
Students receive systematic meditation instructions several times a day, and each day's progress is explained during a video taped evening discourse by Shri Goenka. Complete silence is observed for the first nine days. On the tenth day, students resume speaking, making the transition back to a more extroverted way of life. The course concludes on the morning of the eleventh day.
 
Vipassana enables one to experience peace and harmony: it purifies the mind, freeing it from suffering and the deep-seated causes of suffering. The practice leads step-by-step to the highest spiritual goal of full liberation from all mental defilement.

 

About the Study

 

The study aimed at finding out the effect of Vipassana meditation (VM) on Quality of Life (QOL), Subjective Well-being (SWB), and Criminal Propensity (CP) among Tihar jail inmates. A brief description of each of these concepts/variables is given below.

 

According to Goldenson (1984), mental health is a state of mind, characterized by emotional well-being, relative freedom from anxiety and disabling symptoms and a capacity to establish constructive relationship with ordinary demands and stresses of life. Ryff et al (1995), have proposed a theoretical model of well-being, which encompasses six distinct dimensions of wellness: 'autonomy', 'environment', 'mastery', 'personal growth', 'positive relation with others', 'purpose in life', and 'self-acceptance'. Earlier, Sahoo and Bidyadhar (1988) stated that at least four dominant dimensions influence the way people evaluate their own subjective mental health: 'evaluation of positive affective experience', 'evaluation of negative affective experience', 'feeling
of personal competence on handling negative experience' and 'feeling of personal competence in driving positive experience'.

 
Subjective well-being is an important aspect of one's total health status. It is a mental state, which helps a person to maintain equilibrium, anchored by hope and optimism, even in adversity. A human being in a prison, particularly an undertrial, is normally under high anxiety and stress. It is evident from research that yoga, meditation and religious practices have a positive impact to reduce stress and enhance mental health. Although, a few studies have been conducted on jail inmates (Eber, 1975; Khuruna, 1996), little has , however, been reported regarding the effect of Vipassana meditation on subjective well being of undertrials.

 
Quality of Life is defined as the degree of excellence of one's life that contributes to satisfaction and happiness and benefits mental health. Quality of Life of an individual would be affected by a number of factors, particularly by the significant positive and negative life events. As stated by Milbrath (1979) 'Subjective studies of Quality of Life typically have shown that
most people derive their greatest sense of Quality of Life from their home and family life and from the close supportive relationships they have with friends and colleagues'. Criminal Propensity is the notion of an underlying, or latent characteristic of all individuals - aggression, impulsiveness, self-control, or conditionality - that has a direct effect on a person's likelihood of committing criminal acts. Research findings suggest that people with Criminal Propensity score high on Neuroticism, Extroversion, Psychoticism and Lie tests.

 

2.1 Objectives:

 
The objectives of this study are:

 
1. To find out the effect of Vipassana Meditation (VM) on Subjective Well-being of Tihar Jail inmates.

 
2. To investigate the effect of VM on QOL of Tihar Jail inmates.

 
3. To examine the effect of VM on Criminal Propensity of inmates.

 
4. To assess the overall experience of inmates who regularly practice Vipassana.

 
5. To find out the difference, if any, in the effect of VM on SWB and CP of male and female inmates.

 

2.2 Hypotheses:

 
Based on the review of literature the following hypotheses were formulated:

 
1. There will be a significant positive effect of VM on the QOL of inmates of Tihar Jail.

 
2. VM will have a significant positive effect on the SWB of inmates.

 
3. Criminal Propensity of inmates will decrease significantly after attending the course of VM.

 
4. There will be significant difference in SWB and CP of experimental (Vipassana) group and control (non- Vipassana) group.

 
5. Male and female inmates will differ significantly in SWB and CP, as a result of VM. Rationale behind the formulation of the hypotheses:

 
The training in Vipassana involves awareness of respiration which involves continuous observation of the natural flow of incoming and outgoing breath. This enables the mind to become concentrated and tranquil. Such a person can exercise greater control over his/her mind. Vipassana involves purification of mind through enhanced awareness which in turn helps an
individual inculcate and attitude of non-reactive observation. Thus when feelings of negative emotions, i.e. anger, aggression, fear, insecurity etc. arise, the individual can handle them better. The hypotheses are supported by a few researches done using the technique of Vipassana and other forms of meditation on the levels of anxiety, aggression, hopelessness etc. (Kannapann &
Kalliappan, 1983; Jin, 1992; Chandiramani, Verma, Dhar and Aggarwal, 1994).

 

Method of Study

 

3.1 Research design:

 
The research design, sample characteristics, tools of measurement and statistical analysis for the study are given below.
Both control group and 'before and after' experimental designs were used to find out the effect of VM on QOL, SWB, and Criminal Propensity (CP) of Tihar Jail inmates. The Experimental group was exposed to VM where as the control group had no exposure to VM. The participants of the VM (experimental group) were also tested on the above variables before and
after they were exposed to VM. The scores of the experimental and the control groups as well as before and after their (experimental group) exposure to VM were compared to find out the effect of VM. This study was carried out in five sub-groups (study 1, study 2, study 3, study 4, and study 5).
 
The first study (study 1) was carried out on male adolescents randomly selected from Ward 7, and 3 of Jail No. 5. The sample consists of 45 participants each from Vipassana and Non-Vipassana group. The experimental group was the Vipassana group. The participants were tested on Quality of Life, Subjective Well-being and Criminal Propensity.
 
As the researchers found certain anomalies in the first study, they decided to conduct the study again. They decided to drop the Life Satisfaction Questionnaire (LSQ) in later studies, as the participants had faced difficulties in understanding it. Also the other two questionnaires (Subjective Well-being and Criminal Propensity) were made simple through translation. In the study, the number of participants in experimental group (Vipassana group) was 49, and the number of participants in the control group (Non-Vipassana group) was 39.
 
Study 2 was conducted on female inmates in Jail No. 1. Thirty participants were taken in both the experimental group and the control group each. The experimental group participated in a 10-day Vipassana course. They were tested before and after the Vipassana course, and their scores on Subjective Well-being and Criminal Propensity were compared. These scores of the
experimental group were also compared with that of the control group.
 
Study 3 was conducted on a group of adolescents who volunteered to undergo VM course. A pre-post comparison of their scores on the selected variables was made.
 
Study 4 and 5 were similar to the study 3. Both were before-after tests on selected variables on adolescent inmates.

 
3.2 Sample: For study 1, the experimental group was selected from among adolescent inmates who had undergone Vipassana meditation earlier. They are termed the Vipassana group (N = 45). The control group (N = 45) was selected randomly from inmates who did not attend Vipassana. Both the groups belonged to same age groups (18-25 years) and similar level of educational background. They were compared on their scores in the relevant scales i.e., Subjective Well-being and Criminal Propensity.
 
For study 2, the experimental group consisted of 30 female inmates who had attended Vipassana course. They were tested on the scales just before and again after the Vipassana course. A control group (N = 30) was also randomly selected from among those who did not participate in Vipassana Meditation course. Their scores were compared to those of experimental group's pre and post meditation scores.

 

For study 3, the experimental group (Vipassana) consisted of 49 participants and the Control group (non-Vipassana) consisted of 39 participants. Both the groups were male Adolescents.
 
For study 4, the sample size was 26 (male adolescents). This was a before-and-after Study.
 
In study 5, there were 28 adolescent male participants. This was also a before-and-after Study.
Data collection was done in a very disciplined manner with the help of volunteers - mostly old Vipassana meditators including a few inmates.

 

3.3 Tools:

 
1. The Subjective Well -being Scale (Nagpal and Sell, 1985) was used to measure Subjective Well-being. It has 40 items (Appendix 1-a). This scale has high inter-rater reliability, inter-scores reliability, and test-retest reliability. The scale has been found to be highly significant and satisfactory in validity.
 
Subjective Well-being has been reported as a composite measure of independent feelings about a variety of life concerns, in addition to an overall feeling about life in positive and negative terms, i.e., general well-being and ill-being. Not surprisingly, general well-being in its positive affect and, to a somewhat lesser degree, its negative affect appear to be stable over time
to an extent that they can probably be called personality traits. The Subjective Well-being Inventory (SUBI) is designed to measure feelings of well-being or ill-being as experienced by an individual, or a group of individuals in various day-to-day life concerns. The Inventory measures 11 factorial dimensions, viz. (1) General well-being-positive affect (2) Expectation-achievement Congruence (3) Confidence in coping (4) Transcendence (5) Family group support (6) Social support (7) Primary group concern (8) Inadequate mental mastery (9) Perceived ill-health (10) Deficiency in social contacts (11) General well-being-negative affect. The sample for this study consists of prisoners. Few items (questions) from the original scale are not applicable to prisoners. Through proper analysis those questions which are not suitable to prison life are selectively removed from the original list. The new questionnaire contains 30 items (see Appendix 1-b).
 
2. Quality of Life: The term 'Quality of Life (QOL)' is a new name for the earlier terms such as 'general welfare' and 'social well-being'. QOL us defined as the degree of excellence of one's life that contributes to satisfaction and happiness and benefits mental health. The concept of QOL is subjective. QOL of an individual would be affected by a number of factors, particularly by the significant positive and negative life events. These life events may be related either to his family or society or community where he lives or his own personal life (Verma, 1996). In this study Life Satisfaction Scale (PGI, Chandigarh, 1986) has been used to measure QOL. The concept of Life Satisfaction (LS) is very similar in meaning to QOL. LS measures the same psychological functions as that of QOL. (PGI, Chandigarh 1986) Life Satisfaction Scale is a reliable and valid
scale (Appendix-2).
 
3. Criminal Propensity Scale (C): The Criminal Propensity Scale (C) (Appendix-3b) has been prepared by Sanyal and Kathpalia (1999), on the basis of Eysenckian theory (Appendix-3a). It is a 40-item scale. Studies based on Eysenck Personality Questionnaire have revealed that criminals score significantly high on psychoticism and neuroticism score and low on the lie score, unlike that of control group of non-criminals. Eysenck (1976) described the criminals to be on psuchopathic gradient i.e., they showed high Neuroticism, Extroversion and Psychoticism and low on Social Desirability (L). 'C' Scale has been developed for the sole purpose of Indian setting, and is hypothesized to predict the criminal prone behaviour in individuals. It is claimed that the 'C' Scale is the first of its type adapted and applied in the Indian setting. Subdimensions of 'C' are given below:
 
Psychoticism: A factor developed by Eysenck for distinguishing the three groups of normal, schizophrenic, and manic depressive individuals from each other. Two terms that are closely identified with psychosis are insanity and dementia.
 
Neuroticism: A functional mental disorder characterized by a high level of anxiety and other distressing emotional symptoms, such as morbid fears, obsessive thoughts, compulsive acts, somatic reactions, dissociative states, and depressive reactions. The symptoms do not involve gross personality disorganization, total lack of insight, or loss of contact with reality, and are
generally viewed as exaggerated, unconscious methods of coping with internal conflicts and the anxiety they produce. Neuroticism implies proneness to neurosis; also, a mild condition of neurosis. Neuroticism is one of two major dimensions in Eysenck's factor theory of personality, the other being introversion-extroversion.
 
Lie: It is a dimension in Eysenck's factor theory of personality. Lying means making false statements with conscious intent to deceive. Nonpathological lying is often found in children or adults seeking to avoid punishment or to save others from distress ('white lies'). Pathological lying is a major characteristic of the antisocial personality. When lying behaviour reaches excess then it is considered to be an abnormal behaviour.
 
Extraversion: Noting that some people live within themselves and others only in their converse with other people, Jung postulated two great types characterized by the inward or the outward turning of the libido, by preoccupation with the world of the self or by preoccupation with social reality. This outward turning of the "libido", or "preoccupation with social reality" or in broader sense "love for others" is known as extroversion. This personality characteristic, when present in an excess in a person results in same form of abnormality.
 
The Criminal Propensity Scale has been designed for the Indian setting, which may be useful in contributing to predict the criminal prone behaviour in individuals. Researchers observed that the inmates had some difficulty in understanding the meaning
of some of the questions. Thus the scale was further simplified through change in language and two items from the original scale (Appendix-3b) were dropped.

This modified scale (Appendix- 3c) was finally used in the present study.

 

3.4 Statistical Analysis:

 
The statistical analysis was carried out in data in order to test all the hypotheses framed. In the present study various univariate statistical techniques such as mean, standard deviation and 't' tests were used to analyze the data.

 

Results and Discussion

 

The first study was conducted on the adolescent prisoners on 19th of June 1999. The purpose of this particular study was to see the difference in scores on Subjective Well-being, Criminal Propensity and Life Satisfaction, between inmates, who had prior practice of Vipassana meditation (experimental group), and inmates who did not attend Vipassana. The analysis and
results of the scores of these two groups are given below:
Study 1
Table 1: Significance of difference between mean scores on Life Satisfaction between Vipassana (N = 45) and Non-Vipassana (N = 45) groups in Tihar jail.

 

Vipassana - XA	Non-Vipassana - XB	- XD	T
58.57	56.51	2.06	0.79

 

tobtained = 0.79
Degrees of Freedom (DF) = 88
Examining the one-tailed tcriticals at 88 degrees of freedom: tcriticals .01 level 2.37 > 0.79

Degrees of freedom (df) = 88
Examining the one-tailed t at 88 degrees of freedom: t .01 level 2.37>0.79. It is concluded that though the sample which practised Vipassana had a larger score on LS scale than Non-Vipassana group, the difference was not statistically significant.
The results did not come as expected. The scores on this scale by the two groups did not differ significantly. It was later known through analysis that both the groups faced problems in understanding and comprehending the meaning and implication of the items in the Scale. As pointed out by volunteers who helped fill the questionnaires, most of the participants were illiterate, and they could not do the fine distinction on 5-point scale needed in this questionnaire. Due to this reason this questionnaire was dropped in the later studies.

Table 2: Significance of difference between mean scores on Subjective Well-being between Vipassana group (N = 45) and Non-Vipassana group (N = 45).

 

Vipassana - X1	Non-Vipassana - X2	- X1-X2	t
68.35	62.84	5.51	3.47

 

tobtained = 3.47
Degrees of Freedom (DF) = 88
Examining the one-tailed tcriticals at 88 degrees of freedom: tcriticals.01 level 2.37 < 3.47
It is concluded that the sample which practised Vipassana scored significantly higher on subjective well being than the control group which did not practice Vipassana. The two groups differ significantly at P<.01 The hypothesis No. 1 stands validated. It appears that practice of Vipassana brings mental balance, calm, proper self-analysis, positive thinking and responsibility to the Vipassana practitioners.

Table 3: Significance of difference between mean scores on Criminal Propensity between Vipassana (N = 45) and Non-Vipassana (N = 45) group

 
(A)

Criminal Propensity	Vipassana - XA	Non-Vipassana - XB	Mean Difference - XA - XB
Lie	6.90	6.90	0
Psychoticism	3.13	2.70	0.43
Extroversion	5.73	5.40	0.33
Neuroticism	4.60	6.29	-1.69
Total	20.36	21.29	-0.93

 

(B)

- XA	- XB	SXA	SXB	t
20.36	21.29	4.76	2.98	0.63

 

tobtained = 0.63
Degrees of Freedom (DF) = 88
Examining the one-tailed tcriticals at 88 degrees of freedom: tcriticals .01 level 2.37 > 0.63.
It is concluded that the group which practised Vipassana, though scored lower in Criminal Propensity than Non-Vipassana group, the difference was not significant. It was hypothesized that Vipassana group will score less on Criminal Propensity than the Non-Vipassana group. But result did not come as was expected. Scores of both the groups did not differ significantly. Several causes were identified for this result. First, the Hindi version was translated from Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. Participants could not understand the meaning of many of the questions. Almost fifty percent of the participants were either illiterate or very lowly qualified. It was felt that many items should be made very simple, so that the participants will fully understand the questions. Accordingly questions were made simpler after thorough analysis. Three of the questions which were not suitable for the prison life were dropped and the new simplified questionnaire contained 37 items instead of 40 in the original one.

 

(Appendix-3)

 

Study 2:

The second study was conducted among female inmates of Tihar Jail to evaluate the effect of Vipassana meditation on their Subjective Well-being and Criminal Propensity. An experimental group was selected, which had prior familiarity with Vipassana. A control group was also selected, which did not have any prior familiarity with Vipassana. Both were
administered Subjective Well-being and Criminal Propensity Questionnaires. The experimental group was again tested after undergoing a 10-day Vipassana course. The results are given below:

 
Table 4: Significance of difference between mean scores on Subjective Well-being Scale, before and after attending the Vipassana course.

N = 30

- X1	- X2	- XD (Ê D/N)	SDD	- S x D	t
59.13	64.47	5.33	10.43	1.94	2.75

 

tobtained = 2.75
Degrees of Freedom (DF) = 29
Examining the one-tailedtcriticals at 29 degrees of freedom: tcriticals .01 level 2.46 < 2.75
It is concluded that the group which attended the Vipassana meditation showed significant improvement in their scores on Subjective Well-being Scale. The post Vipassana score marked a significant increase over the pre Vipassana score on Subjective Well-being. This implies that the Vipassana course had a significant and positive effect on the Subjective Well-
being of female prisoners.

 

Table 5a: Significance of difference between mean scores on Criminal Propensity, before and after attending Vipassana course.

N = 30

 

Criminal Propensity	- XA (Pre)	- XB (Post)	- - XA - XB (Ê D/N)
Lie	7.10	6.37	0.73
Psychoticism	2.07	2.40	-0.33
Extroversion	5.70	5.37	0.33
Neuroticism	6.80	5.63	1.17
Total	21.67	19.77	1.90

 

(B)

N = 30

 

- XA (Pre)	- XB (Post)	- XB (Ê D/N)	SDD	- S x D	t
21.67	19.77	1.9	4.03	0.75	2.54

 

tobtained = 2.54
Degrees of Freedom (DF) = 29
Examining the one-tailed tcriticals at 29 degrees of freedom: tcriticals .01 level 2.46 < 2.54
With 29 degrees of freedom t = 2.46 for P = .01 (one-tailed). The calculated value of t, i.e. 2.54 exceeds this and is therefore significant. The means of the two conditions differ significantly.
The pre and post scores of experimental group on Criminal Propensity was found to differ significantly at P < .01 level. After attending the VM course the Criminal Propensity of inmates decreased. This implies that VM can help in checking the tendency to commit crime. One particular observation was that Vipassana course brought down scores on all the subdimensions
of 'C' Scale except one i.e., psychoticism.

Table 6a: Difference between mean scores in Criminal Propensity between Vipassana (post) Group (N =30) and Non-Vipassana group (N =30)

N = 30

 

Criminal Propensity	- XB	- XC	- - XB - XC
Lie	6.37	8.15	-1.78
Psychoticism	2.40	2.13	0.27
Extroversion	5.37	3.47	1.90
Neuroticism	5.63	7.32	-1.69
Total	19.77	21.07	-1.30

 

6b: Significance of difference between mean scores on Criminal Propensity between Vipassana group and Non-Vipassana group
N = 30

 

- XB	- XC	SXB	SXC	t
19.77	21.07	3.23	2.79	-2.207

 

tobtained = -2.207
Degrees of Freedom (DF) = 60
Examining the one-tailed tcriticals at 60 degrees of freedom: tcriticals .01 level 2.39 > 2.21 The calculated value of t is slightly less than the required value (2.39) and is therefore not significant at this level. The calculated value of 't' exceeds this and is therefore significant at this level. The means of the two groups differ significantly. This implies that Vipassana group showed less
tendency to commit crime than their counterparts in Non-Vipassana group, though the confidence level of this assertion is a bit lower.

 

Table 7: Difference between mean scores on criminal propensity of experimental (pre) and Control group.
N = 30

 

Criminal Propensity	- XA	- XC	- - XA - Xc (Ê D/N)
Lie	7.10	8.15	-1.05
Psychoticism	2.07	2.13	-0.06
Extroversion	5.70	3.47	2.23
Neuroticism	6.80	7.32	-0.52
Total	21.67	21.07	0.60

 

The two conditions differ at mean level but the difference is not significant. It was expected that since the experimental group would score less on Criminal Propensity than the control group. But the results showed that the control group scored lower than the experimental group, though the difference was not significant. The experimental group has scored less in three subdimensions of 'C' i.e., Lie, Psychoticism, Neuroticism, but scored substantially more on Extraversion than that of control group. This one big difference brought the total score against the hypothesis that the experimental group would score less on 'C' than control group.
This could be attributed to the fact that the experimental group, though familiar with Vipassana, has a large number of people who are not able to maintain the continuity of their practice. Consequently the salutary effects of VM practice wane. This is corroborated by the results of the comparison between Non-Vipassana group and the experimental group just after they had done a course (Tables 6a, 6b), where the difference is statistically significant.

Table 8: Significance of difference between mean scores on a Subjective Well-Being Scale between the Vipassana group (post)(experimental group - XB) and the control group (XC).

nXB = 30
nXC = 32
N = 62

 

- XB)	- XB	- XD	S2B	S2C	t
64.47	57.66	6.81	92.45	-74.99	11.15

 

tobtained = 11.15
Degrees of Freedom (DF) = 60
At .01 level, tcriticals (DF = 60) = 2.39 < 11.15
It is evident from table 8 that the mean difference in the scores of Subjective Well-being between experimental group and control group is significant at 0.01 level. This suggests that VM has a positive effect on the SWB of inmates.

Table 9: Significance of the mean scores on a Subjective Well-Being Scale between the Vipassana group (pre) (XA) and the control group (XC).

N = 62

 

- XA	- XC	- XD	S2A	S2C	t
59.13	57.66	1.47	112.18	-74.99	1.497

 

tobtained = 1.497
At .01 level, tcriticals (DF = 60) = 2.39 > 1.497
(Two-tailed) P < .01
At .05 level, tcriticals (DF = 60) = 2.00 > 1.497
It is concluded that the two conditions do not differ significantly.

The result shows that though the experimental group which had prior familiarity with Vipassana meditation has scored little more than the control group, the mean difference between these two groups is not significant. Here again the results have the same pattern as with Criminal Propensity and the reasons given above are applicable here too.
 
Study 3: This was the repeat study done in October, 1999 using the questionnaires made simple through retranslation. The Life Satisfaction Scale was dropped from the study. Here special care was taken to ensure that the participants fully understood the questions, before giving answers to them. Sufficient number of volunteers were employed to take care of illiterate participants. The results are given below.

 

Table 10a: Significance of mean score difference on Criminal Propensity between Vipassana and Non-Vipassana groups.

 

Criminal Propensity	Non-Vipassana	Vipassana	- XD
Lie	6.95	6.31	0.64
Psychoticism	2.38	2.12	0.26
Extroversion	6.18	4.94	1.24
Neuroticism	6.18	4.94	1.24
Total	21.69	19.31	2.38

 

10b:
nXa = 39
nXb = 49

 

- XA	- XB	- XD	S2A	S2B	t
21.69	19.31	2.38	5.44	20.54	2.83

 

At .01 level, tcriticals (DF = 86) = 2.37 < 2.83

 
P < .01

 

It is concluded that subjects who have done Vipassana meditation have scored less on Criminal Propensity than the control group, who have not done Vipassana. Vipassana group has scored significantly lower than the Non-Vipassana groups on this
scale. It was hypothesized that Vipassana group will show less Criminal Propensity than the Non- Vipassana group. The result confirmed this hypothesis. 'C' Scale has four subdimensions i.e., Psychoticism, Extroversion and Neuroticism. The Vipassana group has scored less than the Non- Vipassana group on all these subdimentions. This result suggests that Vipassana has lowering effect on Criminal Propensity.

 

Table 11: Significance of mean difference on Subjective Well-being between Vipassana and Control (Non-Vipassana) groups
(Non-Vipassana) nXa = 39
(Non-Vipassana) nXb = 49

 

- XA	- XB	- XD	S2A	S2B	t
60.44	66.55	6.11	127.58	77.27	2.704

 

At .01 level, (one-tailed) tcriticals (DF = 86) = 2.37 < 2.704

 
It is concluded that subjects who have undergone VM course have scored more on Subjective Well-being than the control group, which have not undergone Vipassana course. And this difference is statistically significant. Vipassana has brought a better sense of Subjective Well- being to its practitioners. The result came as was expected.
 
Study 4: Study 4 was conducted in the month of December 1999. It was a before-and-after test. The adolescent group was administered Subjective Well-being (SWB) and Criminal Propensity (CP) questionnaires both before and after the Vipassana course. Effort was made to make the data collection procedure more disciplined. The results are shown below.

Table 12: Significance of difference between mean scores on Criminal Propensity Scale before and after attending the Vipassana course.

 

Participants	Conditions	Mean	Mean Difference	't' Value
N = 26	Before	18.19	-0.43	0.29
	After	18.62

 

tobtained = 0.29
Degrees of Freedom (DF) = 25
tcriticals 0.01 level (one-tailed) = 2.48 < 0.29

 

Table 13: Significance of difference between mean scores on Subjective Well-being before and after attending the Vipassana course

 

Pre	Post	Difference	't' Value
66.26	66.46	0.20	0.44

 

tobtained = 0.44
Degrees of Freedom (DF) = 25
tcriticals 0.01 level (one-tailed) = 2.48 < 0.44
As seen from Tables 12 & 13, the results are not as expected. In fact there is an increase in CP score. Though there is a slight increase in the SWB score, it is far too small to be significant. In order to identify the possible reasons, detailed discussions were held with the course management and it was discovered that there had been severe intra-camp disturbances during the VM and some participants had to be expelled. These disturbances may not have allowed the remaining participants to practice seriously, and so they could not benefit to the extent possible.
 
Study 5: Study 5 was conducted in the month of March 2000. It was a before-and-after test. Participants were adolescents. The group was administered Subjective Well-being and Criminal Propensity (CP) questionnaires, both before and after the meditation course. Data collection was conducted in a disciplined manner. Scores are given below:

Table 14: Significance of difference between mean scores on Criminal Propensity before and after attending Vipassana (N=28)

Participants Conditions Mean Mean Difference 't' Value

 

Participants	Conditions	Mean	Mean Difference	Variance	't' Value
N = 26	Before	18.19	-0.43	27.71	0.29
	After	18.62		22.88

 

tobtained = 1.689
Degrees of Freedom (DF) = 27
Examining the one-tailed tcriticals at 27 degrees of freedom: tcriticals .01 level 2.47 > 1.69 It is concluded that the group which attended the Vipassana course did score less (mean) on Criminal Propensity but the difference was not statistically significant.

Table 15: Significance of difference between mean scores on Subjective Well-being Scale, Before and after attending the course.

N = 28

 

Before

After

Mean Difference