Nature therapy and the Restorative Journey of Incarcerated Individuals
Nature therapy and the Restorative Journey of Incarcerated Individuals
Like a seedling peeking through the earth’s soil to anxiously greet the sun, the Healing Garden reintroduced me to the child who, long ago, was graciously given wings to fly.
R. GUZEK prison reform projects usa
It allows for a safe healing space for clients to process. They often report it is a place that feels like they are not in prison.
MS. DUDLEY, Qualified Mental Health Professional nature therapy, incarcerated individuals
It is an amazing place. It is a place of freedom inside a prison.
J. GIGGY
The Asian Pacific Family Club welcomes you on a journey where darkness is transcended by Nature’s Intelligence.
Within the cold concrete walls of Oregon State Penitentiary lies a space filled with iron steel and razor wire designed to physically keep its inhabitants on the inside, and a traditional Japanese-style Healing Garden designed to do the opposite for the mind, spirit, and soul of those same inhabitants. Through harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility (Wa Kei Sei Jaku), the Memorial Healing Garden is proof that beauty, redemption, healing, and community can be found in the darkest of places.
Encompassed within a thirty-foot cement perimeter wall and located on a busy thoroughfare in the heart of our state’s capital, Oregon State Penitentiary held a dubious century-and-a-half old distinction of being high on maximum security and short of any natural beauty.
In 2019, however, this distinction disappeared. This was accomplished through the APFC working in collaboration with generous community supporters and an ODOC administration receptive to change. Together, we embarked upon a journey of hope and inspiration. As a result of these collaborations, you can now find natural beauty in the most unlikely of places—right here at the Oregon State Penitentiary.
THE OSP MEMORIAL HEALING GARDEN IS MADE POSSIBLE BY GENEROUS GRANTS:
Meyer Memorial
Trust Social Justice Fund Northwest
The Louis Minty Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation
Spirit Mountain Community Fund
Hardy Plant Society of Oregon
Salem Leadership Foundation
McKenzie River Gathering Foundation
Social change organization
National Korean American Service & Consortium (NAKASEC)
GENEROUS DONATIONS:
Cascadia Nursery, Bentwood Tree Farm, Koji Uchida of Wafu Builders, Mamason Koi, Beckkoi Enterprise, Netafirm Irrigation, and individual contributions by supporters nationwide.
This includes our countless community supporters inside and outside the prison wall and the Garden Designer and Creator, Hoichi Kurisu and the team at Kurisu LLC.
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
Asian Pacific Family Club, Oregon State Penitentiary
Jimmy Kashi, APFC President
Randy Guzek, Memorial Healing Garden Director
APFC Staff Advisor Levi Groff, Levi.D.Groff@doc.oregon.gov
OSP PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER
Sandra Curtiss, Sandra.E.Curtiss@doc.oregon.gov
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