Practical poetry: Thich Nhat Hanh and the Cultivation of a Problem-oriented officer

By: Michael J. DeValve and Elizabeth Quinn

This essay argues for a more formal relationship between policing and mindful practice as taught by the Zen monk Thich Nhat Hanh. The paper explores the value of Nhat Hanh’s teachings for improving the daily implementation of police services by individual officers, and the transformation of the suffering witnessed and experienced by those officers. Practical tools for the cultivation of mindfulness for officers are provided.

Contemporary Justice Review, 13: 2, 191 — 205