FOUNDATIONAL RESEARCH

Within prisons, gratitude interventions have been shown to decrease aggression (Deng et al., 2019), increase subjective well-being (Deng et al., 2019; Peng et al., 2021; Yang et al., 2018), and increase satisfaction of basic psychological needs (Peng et al., 2021). A meta- analysis (the strongest quality of evidence in research) revealed that gratitude predicts prosocial behavior (Ma et al., 2017). Subjective well-being is important because research on mental health, beyond just the alleviation of mental illness, from a large sample of violent offenders showed that the better their mental health was inside and upon returning home, the less likely they were to recidivate (Wallace & Wang, 2020). 

• 24 of the 25 sessions in the Shining Light Academy (SLA) have participants practice an evidence-based gratitude intervention. 

• SLA Foundations Course graduates report a 34% increase in gratitude. 

• Positive News From Inside a section in The Loop asks readers to engage in a gratitude- sharing exercise.

A systematic review of Character Strengths interventions found positive outcomes for well- being, job outcomes, personal growth initiative, and group/team outcomes (Ghielen et al., 2017). Awareness and use of strengths strongly correlate with psychological well-being (Hone et al., 2015) and character strengths interventions have shown to increase psychological well-being, decrease depression (Schutte & Malouff, 2019), and prompt behavior change (Bates Krakoff et al., 2022). 

• 6 sessions in the SLA specifically focus on Character Strengths and strength awareness in oneself and others is encouraged throughout all 25 sessions. 

• 95% of graduates of the SLA Foundations Course indicate a greater awareness of strengths in themselves or others. 

• Each issue of The Loop revolves around one of the 24 Character Strengths. Inside, readers find various articles exploring how to apply that strength in different areas of life. These articles cover topics like strength spotting, ways to develop the strength further, and creative exercises tailored to that specific strength. 

• Two video courses found on tablets, the SL Learn Your Strengths and Apply Your Strengths series, dive into Character Strengths and focus on increasing the awareness of strengths and the intentional development of them generally and looking at self- regulation and gratitude specifically. Viewers engage with these courses individually and individuals inside have developed multi-week courses utilizing the series.

Research has shown that participation in arts education and practice can increase emotional control, decrease disciplinary reports, and increase the motivation to pursue educational and vocational programming (Brewster, 2014). Additional research has confirmed that arts engagement positively correlates with prosocial behavior (Kuo et al., 2019). 

• 10 of the sessions focus on creative writing in a variety of forms including free writing, poetry (haiku, limericks, and sonnets), and co-writing a play as a group. 

• 97% SLA Foundations Course graduates would recommend the program to a friend. 

• Inside The Loop, there are two sections featuring Creative Writing prompts to inspire readers to write freely and explore poetry related to the theme. Each issue features examples of impressive submissions from other readers in the previous issue. 

• Two video courses found on tablets, the SL Playwriting Lab and Spoken Word Lab, provide introductory skills to these forms of creative writing. Viewers engage with these courses individually and in group settings.

Within prisons hope interventions have been shown to decrease depression and increase solution-focused decision-making (Sinaga et al., 2020). A systematic review of existing research highlighted that hope predicts the likelihood of people seeking social support, altruism, community and social participation, and prosocial behavior (Schornick et al., 2023). 

• 9 sessions in the SLA have participants practice hope where they specifically think of the future in a positive way and pathways to get there. In addition, formerly incarcerated facilitators role model a positive future for participants. 

• Graduates of SLA Foundations Course report a 32% increase in Hope. 

• Within The Loop, there are multiple articles written by formerly incarcerated individuals and one article entitled Community Spotlight, that specifically highlights someone who has returned home and is thriving.

Within prisons, positive psychology skill-building interventions have shown to increase gratitude, hope, and life satisfaction (Huynh, 2015) and to increase positive relationships and purpose in life (Tabatabaee, 2016). 

• 2 sessions in the SLA focus on more general Positive Psychology Skills including SMART goal-setting and Active-Constructive Responding. 

• Graduates of the SLA Foundations Course report a 27% increase in prosocial intention. Depending on the issue of The Loop, different positive psychology skills are featured. For example, SMART goal-setting and Active-Constructive Responding have both been reviewed in different issues. What skills get highlighted depends on theme of the issue.

A systematic review of existing research on the effects of WRAP found participating in the training increased participants understanding and engagement with one's mental health and improved communications with professionals (Canacott et al., 2020). 

• 6 sessions of the SLA incorporate the WRAP program in the SLA. 

• Graduates of the SLA Foundations Course report a 44% increase in Self-Worth.

A systematic review of peer interventions in prisons settings found that peer-led interventions can lower risky behaviors and can have a positive effect on participants (Bagnall et al., 2015). Additional studies have found that incarceration history is the most important peer characteristic and suggest that individuals who are successful in re-entry are well-positioned to assist, advise, and mentor their peers (Matthews, 2021). 

• The majority, and usually all, of the sessions in the SLA Foundations course have formerly incarcerated facilitators. 

• Multiple sections of The Loop are written by formerly incarcerated writers and over half of the content comes from submsisions to prompts and activities from the previous issue. This capitalizes on peer experience and wisdom on how to engage with the Character Strength within a similar environment.

Within a prison environment, there have been several studies on the use of video conferencing as a delivery method for psychological treatment options showing equivalent effectiveness (Batastini et al., 2016; Morgan et al., 2008) and one study finding equivalent effectiveness in the use of video conferencing to run Thinking For A Change, a cognitive behavioral education program offered in a prison context with a similar format to the SLA Foundations Course (LaPlant, 2020). 

• All 25 sessions can be facilitated via Video Conference. 

• Graduates of the SLA Foundations Course gave the program a rating of 4.9/5.