Beyond the Idle Mind

Day after day they sit in crowded cells and have little beyond their own idle chatter to fill the endless hours.  More often than not, their talk reflects a mindset of criminality. Prison Fellowship Nepal is working to free the minds of prisoners from idleness and preoccupations with criminal exploits by establishing prison libraries.  To date, PF Nepal has created small libraries in seven prisons and it plans to expand the project to 15 prisons within the next six months. “Except for a few prisons in urban areas, most of the prisons do not have any [libraries at all],” explains Dinesh Neupane, Executive Director.

The books included in the libraries are meant to educate and inspire the prisoners. The collection includes PF Nepal‘s recently released book, Life after Prison, written by Dinesh Neupane and Roshan Prajapati, which provides practical suggestions for released prisoners reintegrating back into society. Counselling books are also provided, which supplement PF Nepal‘s counselling classes held in the prisons‘ training centres. The books include psychological, behavioural, health, law, and social topics.

“It is said that an empty mind is the workshop of the devil,” says Dinesh, “it is important to make their minds sharp and busy with creative works.” Stories of faith included among the books help prisoners see beyond themselves and recognize the presence of God.