A.R.E. Prison Program Testimonials

What People are Saying About the Program ...

Juvenile Judge
"As a juvenile corrections judge for 10 years, I see real worth in A.R.E.'s 'Over the Wall' Prison Program.  I only wish more programs like this existed to help turn around the lives of young people who get in trouble at an early age. The concepts from the Cayce readings - thinking of others, controlling negative emotions, personal responsibility- are all important things for young people to learn. The theory of reincarnation, regular meditation and dream interpretation, I feel, especially help these troubled youths to understand their past, in order to make better choices for the future."  
—Judge F.T. Wheeler II, Newport News, Va.

Prison Chaplain
"The book A Search for God is an excellent work on the art of quiet meditation and prayer. As a tool in institutional religious activities, it would be excellent. Portions of it would be helpful if read by corrections employees, making them more proficient in their work. Prisoners are people, and our attitude toward them must reach beyond the simplicitude of mere containment."
—Chaplain, S.E. Read II, Soledad, Calif

Police Officer
"I have received greater satisfaction in three years of sponsoring a prison Study Group than in all 26 years of my career as a policeman in NYC. I firmly believe that the A Search for God material is ideally suited for a prison setting. The concept put forth, that we are
all the creator of our present circumstances, can provide dramatic changes in some and plant the seeds of change in others who are earnestly seeking. I deem this program as one of the greater accomplishments of A.R.E."
—Inspector, Robert Howe, Ret., N.Y. C., N.Y.

A.R.E. Prison Group Sponsor
"I recently spoke to the area chaplain of the Corrections Department and to the administrators of the Triangle Correction Center. Our Study Group there is just over a year old, and the officials have a growing respect for the A.R.E. 'Over the Wall' Program. They see it as valuable and encourage its continuation." 
—Andrew Armstrong, Cary, N.C.

Ex-Prison Inmate
"This coming August I will have been out of the Texas prison for 10 years. Seventeen years ago an inmate handed me the book Many Mansions. Two weeks later I had the book A Search for God and an informal Study Group began. The A.R.E. saved my life and brought me Life. Study Group work showed me that there is a student and a teacher in all of us-one part of us to learn, the other to give to others what we have learned. Using these concepts every day in my life has not only given me my own company but also a very loving wife who shares the Path with me. I'm still in a Study Group and just as excited about it now as I was those many years ago. Each day I try to repay that Spirit which has given me the gift of Life. The gift that says that with the right ideal, nothing can limit you!"
—Bobby Ray Davis, Grapevine, Tex

Corrections Officer
"I sincerely appreciate the work you are doing with the inmates of our correctional system. Once a person accepts the philosophy as expressed in the A Search for God books, his life has to change! It helps one to better understand the truth 'you reap what you sow'."
—Robert D. Barnes, State Farm, Va.

Prison Psychologist
"In working with inmates using this material, I have found that it is often more effective than many other programs in meeting their special needs. Individuals are encouraged to speak freely and often learn about themselves in the process. This self-knowledge can be a healing experience."
—Richard Tamura, Ph.D., Capron, Va.