British study shows Transcendental Meditation is a proven and cost-effective way to reduce crime

Leading scientists call on the Government to take action

London 25th April 1996

A new study published in a leading British crime journal has serious implications for Home Office crime prevention, according to a group of scientists who outlined their views at a press briefing in London today.

The study, published in the current issue of the journal Psychology, Crime and Law (1996, vol 2:3, pages 165-174), shows that in 1988 the crime rate in Merseyside was significantly reduced compared to 1987 and previous years, as a result of a group of people in Skelmersdale and others in Liverpool practising the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi programme of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. In each of the years 1989 to 1993 Merseyside crime rate performed significantly better than the national crime rate. In 1987 Merseyside had the third highest crime rate in England and Wales; in 1993, by the end of the study it had the lowest crime rate of the 11 metropolitan areas.

Overall, during the six-year period of the study, crime in Merseyside fell by 15% while crime in the rest of the country rose by 45%.

The author of the study Guy Hatchard, MA, presented the findings and explained the methodology used, which clearly establishes a relationship between the presence of the Transcendental Meditation group and the drop in crime.

Mr Hatchard used the powerful statistical technique of time series analysis which showed that Transcendental Meditation was the key factor in reducing crime. The results showed that the reduction in crime was not due to other factors such as unemployment, police practice, population trends, and drug rehabilitation initiatives, The study was the first of its kind to be conducted on crime trends in Britain, but it is the 42nd published study showing reduced negative trends and improved quality of life through Transcendental Meditation. This phenomenon is known as the Maharishi Effect.

Scientists call on government policy makers to take note

Professor of Criminology Ken Pease, Phi) FBPS, British Home Office adviser, encouraged fellow scientists and the government to keep an open mind and take a close look at the findings. He said, 'I was initially sceptical, but having studied the research completed to date, I have concluded that these studies on the Maharishi Effect have subjected theory to proper empirical tests. They have shown sound results which demand serious interest.'

Professor Pease said that this method should be applied more widely in programmes to reduce crime. He suggested that British scientists and policy makers assess these programmes to learn more about the mechanism and application of the method.

Ken Pease is Professor of Criminology at the University of Huddersfield. He has served on The Parole Board at the invitation of the Home Secretary, and was the only academic on the Home Office Crime Prevention Board (1993-1996). Since 1984 he has been Chairman of CIRAC, the Belfast-based Centre for the Independent Research and Analysis of Crime.

Transcendental Meditation reduces social stress — the basic cause of crime

Mr Hatchard said that Transcendental Meditation has become well known as the most effective way of reducing stress for the individual and society. This is confirmed by over 500 published scientific studies. 'Much crime is known to be related to high levels of stress and disorder in society,' he said. 'Transcendental Meditation has proved effective at lowering crime because it reduces the overall levels of stress. Each individual contributes to the quality of life in a city. The scientific research shows that a small proportion of the population practising Transcendental Meditation to reduce their own stress produces an influence of increased orderliness in the whole collective consciousness of a city, thereby reducing collective stress and lowering crime rate.'

Cost-effective approach to reduce crime

Professor Huw Dixon, Professor of Economics at the University of York and Associate Editor of the prestigious Economic Journal, said he has been following the research on the Maharishi Effect for a number of years, and is particularly impressed by the potential cost savings:

'There is now a strong and coherent body of evidence showing that the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi programme provides a simple and cost-effective solution to many of the social problems we face today, particularly the unacceptable level of crime. This research and its conclusions are so strong, that it demands action from those responsible for government policy.'

Professor Dixon outlined the economic implications of the new research. He said that Home Office figures show that crime-related costs such as insured and uninsured losses, prison, courts and police expenditures, fraud, etc amount to £5000 per crime. "Analysis of the effectiveness of Transcendental Meditation demonstrates that a 15% reduction in crime can be achieved within a short period. A 15% reduction in the current annual crime rate of 5.1 million crimes would save £3.8 billion each year. This contrasts with the present, costly and largely ineffective government policies, including a prison construction programme which hasn't delivered any long term reductions in crime."

Dr Jim Kemeny, Reader in Social Policy at the University of Plymouth, who has recently been appointed as Professor of Sociology at the University of Uppsala, Sweden, sent the following message to the press briefing:

'This research is of the highest methodological quality, and has added to a large body of published research undertaken in many different countries using a wide variety of research designs over the last twenty years. The point is rapidly being reached at which these findings, and their far-reaching implications for how we deal with social problems, can no longer be ignored by policy makers.'

World scientific comment on the Maharishi Effect

'This is promising research. If is a non-traditional approach, but the methodology of these studies is sound and the statistical significance high. In a world as unstable and dangerous as ours, I believe that any approach with such consistent objective support deserves careful attention.'

— Dr Ved Nanda, Director of the Legal Studies Program, University of Denver. Former President of the International Association of Law Professors.

'The hypothesis definitely raised some eyebrows among our reviewers. But the statistical work was solid. The numbers were there. When you can statistically control for as many variables as these studies do, it makes the results much more convincing.'

— Raymond Russ Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, University of Maine. Editor of the Journal of Mind and Behaviour, which has published two Maharishi Effect studies.

'I think the claim can he plausibly made that the potential impact of this research exceeds that of any other ongoing social or psychological research programme. It has survived a broader array of statistical tests than most research in the field of conflict resolution. This work and the theory that informs it deserve the most serious consideration by academics and policy makers alike.'

— David Edwards Ph.D., Professor of Government, University of Texas at Austin.

'In the studies that I have examined on the impact of the Maharishi Effect on conflict I can find no logical flaws, and the findings have been consistent across a large number of replications in many different geographical and conflictual situations. As unlikely as the premise may sound I think we have to fake these studies seriously.'

— Ted Robert Gurr Ph. D., Professor of Government and Politics, University of Maryland.

Guy Hatchard MA
Guy Hatchard has been director of Maharishi Foundation North of England Campus, Skelmersdale, for the last six years. His responsibilities include the day to day administration of this £20 million project which comprises a school, a community centre, a health clinic, a housing development, and liaison with over 40 local businesses. Mr Hatchard has received a BSc (Hons) in Logic and Theoretical Physics from the University of Sussex, a Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching from Christchurch College, and an MA in Science of Creative Intelligence in Education from Maharishi International University. Since 1975, he has been a pioneer of research work on the Maharishi Effect. In 1993, Mr Hatchard's research work received high recognition when he was honoured as a keynote invited speaker at the Annual Conference of the British Psychological Society on Criminal and Legal Psychology.

Huw Dixon
DPhil (Oxon) Huw Dixon's distinguished academic career began with a Brackenbury Open Scholarship to Balliol College, Oxford where he also won the Thomas Balogh Prize in Political Economy. The Jenkyns Prize for Mock Schools and the George Webb Medley essay Prize. He won the P W S Andrews Memorial Essay Prize in 1986. Professor Dixon became Chair of Economics at University College Swansea in 1991 and currently is Professor of Economics at York University (1992 to present). He has published widely (over 34 papers, articles, and book chapters), and in addition to refereeing about 30 papers each year for various journals, he is also Associate Editor of the Economic Journal and is on the editorial review board of Review of Economic Studies. Professor Dixon is very active as an external speaker and has lectured at many universities in the United Kingdom (including Oxford, Cambridge, and the London Business School) and abroad (Aarhus. Copenhagen, Oslo, ANU, Monash, and Sydney).

Ken Pease PhD, FBPS
Professor Pease has had a very active and distinguished career in Psychology and Criminology. He became Reader in Criminology at the University of Manchester in 1986 and was Professor there from 1990. In 1995 he became Professor of Criminology at the University of Huddersfield. He has been very active in Criminological research with funding coming from Government and various trusts totalling more than £1 million. Professor Pease has lectured extensively, held many international consultancies including to the United Nations. and since 1984 has been chair of CIRAC. the Belfast-based Centre for the Independent Research and Analysis of Crime. At the invitation of the Home Secretary, he has served on the Parole Board for England and Wales (1987-1990) and is currently Advisor to the Home Office on its Safer Cities Programme, and was the only academic on the National Crime Prevention Board (1993-1996). He has published 8 books and 98 monographs and articles in refereed journals as well as presenting papers at numerous conferences.