Corrections

Animal assisted therapy (AAT) involves using highly trained animals to help promote emotional, physical, and mental well-being. In a prison, using animals can be very helpful, especially to inmates who have never experienced the unconditional love of a pet. Incarceration can be a very stressful time for inmates given the fear of attack from other inmates, detachment from friends and family, and guilt for not providing for their children. The animals used in AAT receive special training to function in an institutional setting. Many inmates who have been through AAT respond very positively, finding the animals provide a safe outlet for their emotions. Studies have shown that prisoners who go through AAT are often calmer, more relaxed, and get along better with their fellow inmates.

Aside from therapy animals, some animal shelters have begun allowing inmates to work with orphaned pets. Carefully chosen inmates take care of a specific pet, including brushing, cleaning, and training the animal. Prisoners are given the opportunity to care for a pet, and the animals begin to trust humans again so that they may be adopted into a loving home.