Feline Fridays: Cats in the Correctional System

Cats have been in the news lately as an effective rehabilitation therapy for prison inmates. This has been a win-win situation as there are several cats in shelters that might be otherwise euthanized without these kinds of programs.

The benefits for the prisons have been noteworthy as these cat-prisoner relationships create a nurturing bond that impacts the mood of the inmates, which even changes the culture of the prison. It has been observed that jail time often hardens the inmates even more because of the rough characters the inmates interact with. But offering qualifying inmates the option of adopting a cat to care for helps that person remember things like what it feels like to love, to not be judged, and to be responsible for the care of another being. It may sound counterintuitive, but something as simple as learning to play with an animal seems to touch on that thread of our humanity.

The following video is a bit long (7 minutes) but I think youll find it rewarding.

http://youtu.be/0iUojn2ENLc

Many of our BaxterBoo Blog readers are not only thinkers, but DO-ers! Perhaps this information will inspire you to look into bringing a similar program to your own citys correctional facilities. Who knows? Maybe Ill be blogging about you and how youve improved the lives of both human and caged kitties that need a second chance!

Featured photo courtesy of AlexanderY.

For more information, visit Petside.com.

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mountainlesli on April 27 at 11:26 AM said:

I have seen this DOC program with cats when it first aired, and the Dog Whisperer on the service dog training in prisons as well. These inmates demonstrate what unconditional love of an animal can do for anyone! I wish that all prisons had this program....we would see much less violence within them. It's a win-win!

What do you think?