More than Just a Gardening Program – Using Horticultural Therapy and Mindfulness Practice to Promote Health and Connection for Incarcerated Individuals and Those Preparing to Re-enter their Communities

The Insight Garden Program (IGP) is a year-long gardening and mindfulness program that takes place inside prisons. It teaches incarcerated individuals how to grow plants while also helping them reconnect with themselves, their communities, and nature. The program combines gardening with emotional wellness practices like meditation and personal reflection. Through hands-on learning, participants gain both job skills and tools for emotional healing, which prepare them for a smoother transition back into society after their release.

The program has been shown to reduce stress, build social connections, and increase participants’ sense of purpose and responsibility. Many people in the program report feeling more hopeful, calm, and motivated to change their lives. The program also helps break down social barriers within prisons by encouraging collaboration between people who might not usually interact. Thanks to its success, IGP has expanded across multiple facilities, trained formerly incarcerated staff as mentors, and even helped participants find jobs upon reentry.

Hart, F.B., & Reisner, M. (2021). More than just gardening program – using horticultural therapy and mindfulness practice to promote health and connection for incarcerated individuals and those preparing to re-enter their communities. ISHS Acta Horticulturae 1330: XV International People Plant Symposium and II International Symposium on Horticultural Therapies: The Role of Horticulture in Human Well-being and Social Development.