FOR A GOOD CAUSE -- Connie Betton

Paul Clinton

Ministering to prisoners, Connie Betton has seen her share of lost

souls. She has entered a few hearts of darkness.

But with an uplifting message of love and peace, firmly rooted in

Eastern philosophy, the Newport Beach resident works to change one mind

at a time.

Using a program of what she calls “attitudinal healing,” Betton and

her colleagues at Costa Mesa-based Visions for Prisons bring their

message of self-help and making healthy choices to Orange County lockups

each Monday evening.

“It’s a way of changing their attitudes,” Betton said. We want “to get

them into a place of peace.”

Betton, 55, became involved in Visions for Prisons last year as an

outgrowth of her meditation group. She wanted to make a positive

contribution, create some good karma.

The group, which has branches all over the nation, organizes Monday

night classes that allow those behind bars to share their hopelessness,

anger and loss. By forming a meditation circle, a so-called “Mundra of

Light,” the prisoners can share their thoughts with each other and the

Visions volunteers.

“They talk about prison life, what they did that day,” Betton said.

“People just share their experiences.”

On her visits, Betton hands out copies of “Chicken Soup for the

Prisoner’s Soul,” a collection of stories designed to “open the heart and

rekindle the spirit of hope.”

The group has been raising money to print more copies of the book,

which they hope to put in the hands of every prisoner in Orange County.

Her work with Visions has helped Betton discover a political side to

herself. During the last round of elections in November, Betton ran for

Congress as the representative of the Natural Law Party. She collected

about 3,000 votes, losing to incumbent Dana Rohrabacher.

Her political activism stems from her belief that prisoners should be

rehabilitated not just locked up, she said.

“Changes need to be made in the way things are done,” Betton said.