Posted on Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008
Although the dog programs were started at women’s prisons, the resultant successes cautiously opened the doors to developing programs at men’s prisons. There is a significant difference between the atmospheres of men’s and women’s prisons.
The violence and assaults at men’s prisons would make most women’s prisons look like giant tea parties. Maximum-security- level differences between the two are like night and day: It’s not necessarily the correctional institution rules that are so different, but the look, the feel and the fear.
It is no wonder that nearly all prison dog programs for men are in minimum-to-medium security-risk-level institutions. Many of the men interviewed had earned their way into minimum or medium security from high security prison by their behavior..
The differences seem to blur a little, however, when it comes to the men who successfully enter and stay in the prison dog programs. The same need to feel responsible and trusted, to care for something and have it care back—and yes, to love something, and have it love you back—are not male or female traits, but human traits.
Whereas for women the nurturing aspect is so critical and healing, often for the men it’s the ability to put something else first for the first time in their lives that opens their eyes and hearts. Or, having committed a brutal crime, often against a woman, they finally understand the defenselessness of their victim.
Many men told me it felt really good to be trusted again with a living thing. Others told me that it felt so good to be saving the life of a throwaway dog. Or in the case of service dog trainers, they felt immense pride and satisfaction in enabling a life, rather than destroying one-even their own.
Some Facts on Incarcerated Men
On December 31, 2003, there were 2,085,620 prisoners held in Federal or State prisons or in local jails — an increase of 2.6% from yearend 2002, less than the average annual growth of 3.5% since yearend 1995. The number of men rose 2.0%, totaling 1,368,866. At year end 2003. There were 3,405 black male prisoners per 100,000 black males in the United States in prison, compared to 1,231 Hispanic male inmates per 100,000 Hispanic males and 465 white male inmates per 100,000 white males. Between 1995 and 2001, the increasing number of violent offenders accounted for 63% of the total growth of the State Prison population; 15% of the total growth was attributable to the increasing number of drug offenders. (Bureau of Justice Statistics)
Tags: dogs in men's prisons, incarcerated men, leader dog program, prison dog programs for incarcerated men, prison dog programs for men
