“We’re All Doing Time” was
hailed as “one of the 10 books everyone in the world should read” and is free to all inmates

Bo’s and Sita’s compassion towards all mankind which is manifested in their non-judgmentalism, acceptance and love of the seemingly “foulest” of prisoner—profoundly impacted my being and played a key role in untying the knot of my heart.

—Gerald Henry

Bo and Sita Lozoff founded the Human Kindness Foundation Prison-Ashram Project in 1973. They created Human Kindness Foundation in 1987 to encompass the prison work and other projects.

Bo’s first book, “We’re All Doing Time”, now in its 17th printing, with over 385,000 copies in print, is available in several languages. It was hailed by the Village Voice as "one of the ten books everyone in the world should read," and has been lauded by prison staff and prisoners alike as one of the most helpful books ever written for true self-improvement and rehabilitation.

The book highlights Bo’s and Sita’s view that revolves squarely around unselfishness and compassion.

The primary purpose of the Prison-Ashram Project is to inspire and encourage prisoners and prison staff to recognize their depth as human beings, and to behave accordingly.

Our inmost nature is divine

The nature of our lives is an incomprehensibly wonderful mystery which each human being can experience only in solitude and silence. Prisoners have the opportunity to dedicate themselves to this inward journey without the distractions and luxuries which occupy many people in the "free world."

Bo Lozoff teaches a balance between "Communion," which is an entirely inward, transcendent experience, and "Community," which includes everything else—our behavior toward others, our worldly goals, our treatment of the planet and its resources, etc. His writings and talks, therefore, center both on personal spiritual practice, and committed social activism.

The Prison-Ashram Project encourages prisoners to take responsibility for changing their prisons, their communities, and the world.

How the Project Began

In 1973, Bo Lozoff and Ram Dass came up with the idea to help prisoners to use their prisons as ashrams if they were tired enough of seeing themselves as convicts just biding their time until they were released.

Ashram is a Sanskrit word meaning "House of God." In the East, an ashram is a place where people live for some period of time in order to strengthen their spiritual practice and self-discipline. Many ashrams are very strict. Residents, or ashramites, abide by an exhaustive schedule and live very simply, without many comforts or luxuries.

Ram Dass funded the work, and Bo began corresponding with prisoners and, with their feedback, developing spiritual materials especially suited to that environment.

Neither Bo nor Ram Dass ever imagined that hundreds of thousands of hard-core convicts would be interested in such an idea. But within the first couple of years, the letters began pouring in and have not stopped to this day.

By 1975, the Prison-Ashram Project had become Bo's full time job, and that same year Sita committed herself to the work as well. Bo and Sita have visited over 500 prisons, leading thousands of workshops. Bo's books, in particular the well-known “We're All Doing Time”, have become "the convicts' Bible" in institutions around the world.

All of these books, as well as many of our tapes, are sent free of charge to any prison inmate who requests them.
 

Bo and Sita Lozoff
Founders of the Human Kindness Foundation

We're All Doing Time

Bo Lozoff’s first book “We’re All Doing Time”, with over 385,000 copies in print, was hailed by The Village Voice as "one of the ten books everyone in the world should read," and is acclaimed by prison staff and prisoners alike as one of the most helpful books ever written for true self-improvement and rehabilitation.

 





The information on this resource page was obtained from the Human Kindness Foundation web site. Their web site carries this interfaith symbol which signifies that the truths that set man free are universal and that truth is non-denominational.

HUMAN KINDNESS FOUNDATION RESOURCES

The Human Kindness Foundation's Free Newsletter

“A Little Good News” is sent three times each year to HKF’s mailing list of about 40,000 people. Director Bo Lozoff contributes the main article, and each issue contains a practice section, correspondence, and prisoner artwork. The newsletters are also available in Spanish.

We’re All Doing Time As Well As Many Other Books And Tapes Are Available Free To Any Inmate Who Requests Them.

You can contact and make requests to Human Kindness Foundation at:

   Human Kindness Foundation:
   PO Box 61619
   Durham, NC 27715

   Phone: (919) 383-5160

   www.humankindness.org


The Prison Phoenix Trust

The Prison-Ashram Project has a sister organization in the UK. The Prison Phoenix Trust sends out free copies of “We're All Doing Time” and another book called “Becoming Free Through Meditation and Yoga”, by Sister Elaine MacInnes and Sandy Chubb, and several other great titles. It also sponsors yoga and meditation classes in British prisons, distributes newsletters and carries on correspondence.

For contact details and more resources for UK prisoners, see:

   www.prisonphoenixtrust.org.uk