Fritzi Horstman and the Compassion Prison Project are working to expand “Step Inside the Circle” beyond California, bringing the program to other prisons across the United States. The ultimate goal is to foster broader penal reform that prioritizes rehabilitation and healing over pure punishment.
Recent studies show that prisoners often have experiences of trauma and psychosocial distress. In particular, overcrowding and the lack of adequate psychological support represent important challenges. Some initiatives, such as the “Liberi dentro” project promoted in several Italian prisons, aim to offer psychological support and recovery paths based on trauma awareness, trying to promote social reintegration and reduce the rate of recidivism.
“Step Inside the Circle” is a fax lists powerful tool for change that highlights how trauma can lead to problematic life paths, including incarceration. The project offers new hope for the prison system, suggesting that through understanding and treating trauma, it is possible to break the cycle of recidivism and build a more just system.
With projects like this, the hope is that a compassion-centered approach will become an integral part of prison reform not only in California, but around the world, including Italy.elfare? In Singapore it is a kind of “dirty word”. At least that is what former Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong once proudly declared. The underlying idea is that the city-state does not value charity, but exalts self-sufficiency. No public pensions for workers: everyone must pay contributions into their individual pension accounts. Even healthcare is not an acquired right, but must be paid for with mandatory savings, far from the welfare policies we are used to. There are not even minimum wages or subsidies for essential goods such as rice or electricity.