Why Kindness

About Our Programs

Transformation Is Our Goal

Kindr Foundation’s Dr. Doug Carnine initiated a groundbreaking initiative within the walls of an Arkansas maximum security prison, embarking on a journey to explore the transformative power of mindful kindness with a man serving a life sentence without parole. This pilot project aimed to discover whether individuals, deeply scarred by severe childhood adversities and responsible for severe crimes, could not only reform themselves but also become catalysts for positive change among fellow inmates and even correctional officers. The success of this venture led to the involvement of three more incarcerated adults, all of whom emerged as advocates and educators of mindful kindness. This initiative fostered a culture of compassion and respect, challenging and changing the inmates’ self-perceptions of being unlovable and unworthy, thereby aiding in the healing of their relationships and giving them a renewed sense of purpose.

"It was not until I ended up in solitary confinement at Pelican Bay State Prison in California that I was forced to face my unkind habits and admit that I had an unkind personality type. It was in solitary confinement that I experienced the transformative powers of kindness that the Carnine family showed me through the kindness they showed me. It was through their compassion that I began to believe love could win. My transformation of changing and weakening my unmindful-unkind cycle was able to shift. It was then that I began to be kind towards others and expand that kindness into my community inside and outside of prison."

- Ernesto Rodriquez (A mindful kindness ambassador who served 24 of a 37 year sentence for crimes committed before 18 years old.)

Ernesto’s Story