Jo Jarvis

Jo Jarvis spends a lot of her week at Rikers Island Prison.

Rikers is a notorious remand jail in New York City.

Jo goes there to teach meditation to men being held in the jail.

And whether these men are in for murder or assault or drug crime, whatever it is that's brought them to prison, Jo believes that a simple meditation practice can profoundly change their lives.

because that's what meditation has done for her.

Jo had a successful career here at the ABC.

She was well-paid, lived in a nice house in Sydney, had lots of friends and family.

But on the inside, Jo was looking for more meaning in the way that she lived.

So heading towards her 50th birthday, Jo packed her bags and moved to New York City, a place she'd been dreaming about since she was a kid.

From knowing no one, Jo now has a wife, a dog and a growing number of meditation students, including the men in Rikers Island Prison.

Hi, Jo.

Hi, Sarah.

Tell me about this place, about Rikers Island.

What was it like going there the very first time?

What sort of security do you have to go through to enter the prison?

That's an extraordinary number of people.

Is there violence inside that prison, Jo?

Institutions of all kinds, they not only have their special sounds, they have smells, just that number of people put together.

What's it smell like inside Rikers Island?

Inmates volunteer to come along to the meditation course that you run, Jo.