Blog

By Bhakti-lata Dasi

In January 2022, the prison system in the USA started the process of converting all inmate mail to an electronic system. The state of Florida was the first to transition, gradually followed by Texas, then Missouri, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. In the near future, the other states will follow this trend as well.

This means that most of the inmates in those states are no longer allowed to receive paper letters, books, magazines, and newsletters. All snail mail correspondence has to be sent to a post office box, from where letters are scanned and emailed to the different institutions. From there the mail is read, approved, and sent electronically to the individual inmates’ tablets.

Some institutions lend tablets to the inmates while they serve their time there. In other places, inmates either have their own tablets, or they have access to their mail at a kiosk within the prison. For inmates who, as a result of their housing designation or status, are not permitted to access tablets or kiosks services, mail is scanned, printed, and delivered to them.

A few of these already transitioned institutions make an allowance for religious material, as long as the package is stamped as such and that the sender is a recognized entity. Fortunately, most prisons recognize IPM as a legitimate book vendor, so most of the time we can take advantage of these exceptions.

When this trend started, I had an inkling that, most probably, all States would eventually follow suit. It then seemed logical that IPM should upload Śrīla Prabhupāda’s electronic books on the inmates’ tablets. After doing a little research and making some initial contact with the company Edovo, that provides tablets for the prison system, it became evident to me that this was a project that would require a substantial amount of time. Being already fully engaged, I asked for help in this undertaking in a 2023 IPM NEWS.

In July 2023, Chaitanya Visnu prabhu, from Nairobi, Kenya, volunteered for this project. He made some headway but that September he had to withdraw due to the difficulty of reaching out to an American company on a different time zone. I am very grateful for the progress he was able to make.

In August 2023, Premananda prabhu —who now lives in New Vrindaban and is a disciple of Varsana Swami—volunteered to take up the baton and continue to investigate and explore the labyrinth of the prison electronic system. He also had to facilitate communication between Edovo and Kaisori prabhu (from the European BBT). In her turn, Kaisori has been so very patient with this long-drawn process and facilitated the necessary permissions between the European BBT and the Edovo company, as well as with Bhaktivedanta Archives in North Carolina (Ekanatha Dasa and Nitya-trpta Dasi, to whom we are also indebted).

Thanks to Premananda’s staunch determination over the last year and a half, he was able to reach our goal of having Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books (plus a few of his lectures, bhajans and kirtans) uploaded to the prisons’ tablets.

On 3/21/25, Edovo emailed the following message to Premananda prabhu;

“We’re happy to share that all of your content has been reviewed, organized, uploaded, and published to the platform and is now available to nearly 1 million incarcerated learners across the country!

To view how learners are engaging with your materials, here is your custom data analytics dashboard (link below) that shows how many unique individuals have started and completed each item. It will start updating with Learner engagement within a few days and continue to update in real time after that.”

You can access that link for data usage at:

https://app.periscopedata.com/shared/06a20aa8-f038-4aa0-903f-8788e3b43c50

Many inmates have already enthusiastically written about using Edovo to read Prabhupāda’s books. Below are two of those letters:

“Krsna has now provided for us, on Edovo, many of Srila Prabhupada’s, books, lecture’s and even some kirtan and examples of Srila Prabhupada chanting the maha mantra (japa)! We have been so richly blessed. Please see for yourself if your facility provides EDOVO. Easiest access is typing “Kṛṣṇa ” into the platform. It will provide a greater way to not only absorb more of Srila Prabhupada’s works for us, it will also give a very important tool to share love of Krsna with others.
I’m really excited and adapting to reading much more on a tablet. This will probably be the way of the future as facilities are restricting mail access more and more.
Prayerfully hoping Back to Godhead and the Freedom Newsletter from IPM can be added sometime soon.
Forever grateful to IPM and the generous donors for providing for us in the prison house of the material prison!”

Rodney S. — Lincoln, Nebraska

[Since this letter from Rodney, we have indeed been able to upload the Freedom Newsletter to the tablets. Edovo will upload three issues at a time, four times a year.]

“Yesterday, March 20th, I discovered all of the transcendental content you have uploaded to the Edovo learning app. A collective effort, for sure. I express my deepest appreciation to each and every devotee that was and continues to be involved in service to Śrī Guru and Gauranga Nitai! Please know inmates here in South Carolina, including myself, are already so engaged. And I thank you so very much!”

Jason M. —Fairfax, South Carolina

We are celebrating the fact that a million inmates in 1,200 facilities nationwide have access to Śrīla Prabhupāda’s eBooks and audio. It is a great victory; a rhino I was so very much eager we catch for Śrīla Prabhupāda’s pleasure. My deepest thanks to Premananda prabhu for his determined and selfless service.

All content has to be re-uploaded every year at the cost of $2,000/year. A generous devotee (who desires to remain anonymous) wonderfully offered to sponsor the cost for this first year. At the beginning of 2026, I will be fundraising for a second year, to keep the door open for the inmates to receive Śrīla Prabhupāda’s mercy.

Below you can see the complete list of the uploaded material.

KRISHNA CONSCIOUS CONTENT UPLOADED TO EDOVO IN MARCH 2025

eBOOKS (29)

Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta

AUDIO TRACKS (20)

JAPA (1)

Japa by Example -by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda – 30:58 mns

ŚRĪLA PRABHUPĀDA Bhagavad-gītā As It Is LECTURES (6)

BG 2.13: This body is a bag made of blood and bones. -by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda -Feb. 21, 1973 -Auckland

BG 4.7: Surrendering unto God is the real religion. -by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda -June 13, 1968 -Montréal , Canada – 54:52

BG 7.1: We are always disturbed. -by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda -July 29, 1971 -Gainesville, FL

BG 8.12-14: The examination at the time of death. -by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda -October 26, 1966 -New York

BG 9.26-27: The process of peace. -by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda -December 16, 1966 -New York

BG 12.13-14: God must be equal to everyone. -by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda -May 12, 1974 -Bombay

ŚRĪLA PRABHUPĀDA Srimad-Bhagavatam LECTURES (6)

SB 1.1.2: Everyone must commit mistakes. -by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda -August 16, 1971 -London

SB 2.1.1-5: Everyone thinks ‘I am this body’. -by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda -June 26, 1974 -Melbourne

SB 3.25.9: We do not die -by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda -November 9, 1974 -Bombay —41:54 mns

SB 5.5.1: We require eternal happiness. -by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda -October 23, 1976 -Vrndavana, India

SB 6.1.6-7: There are millions of universes. -by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda -June 8, 1975 -Honolulu

SB 7.5.22-32: The Lord appears with two purposes. -by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda -May 27, 1972 -Los Angeles

ŚRĪLA PRABHUPĀDA BHAJANS (7)

Hare Kṛṣṇa Maha Mantra – by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda

Purport on Hare Kṛṣṇa Maha Mantra -by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda

Prayers to the Six Goswamis (Śrī Śrī Sad-gosvamy-astaka) – by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda

Govinda (Śrī Brahmā-samhita) – by Radha-Kṛṣṇa Temple

Ceto Darpana Marjanam (Śrī Śrī Siksastakam) -A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda

Vande ‘ham (Prayers & Kīrtana) A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda & devotees

Hari Haraye Namah Kṛṣṇa (Nama-sankirtan) -A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda —16.45 mns

ISKCON PRISON MINISTRY

*********************************
NOTE:
This article is from IPM NEWS, the bi-monthly electronic newsletter of ISKCON Prison Ministry. To read whole issues, please go to: iskconprisonministry.org

If you wish to receive it in your mailbox, simply email me at iskconprisonministry@gmail.com with “SUBSCRIBE” in the subject line.

More excerpts of inmate letters and also their artwork are available on our website at: iskconprisonministry.org

************************************************************

WANT TO HELP?

4 Donation Options:

1. Send check or postal money order to:
   ISKCON Prison Ministry
   PO Box 2676
   Alachua, FL 32616

2. Donate through PayPal at: IskconPrisonMinistry@gmail.com

   ISKCON Prison Ministry
   By Bhakti-lata Dasi

3. Donate through pay.google.com to iskconprisonministry@gmail.com

4. For automatic, monthly donations, you can do so on our website (with the PayPal button), or through your bank “Automatic Bill Pay” option, which is free and easy.

We will send you a tax-deductible receipt at the moment of the donation, provided you give us your legal name and mailing address.

ISKCON Prison Ministry
PO Box 2676
Alachua, FL 32616
IskconPrisonMinistry@gmail.com
IskconPrisonMinistry.org

Source: https://www.dandavats.com/?p=115710