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Source:
Dana Britton, 785-532-4968, brittn@k-state.edu
News release prepared by: Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, 785-532-6415,
ebarcomb@k-state.edu
Tuesday,
September 5, 2006
K-STATE
SOCIOLOGY PROFESSOR FINDS DOG TRAINING PROGRAMS IN KANSAS PRISONS
ARE BENEFICIAL TO BOTH INMATES AND STAFF
MANHATTAN -- One of the most beneficial programs in Kansas prisons
costs taxpayers virtually nothing and relies on four-legged volunteers.
That's
what a Kansas State University professor learned through researching
three dog training programs at two Kansas correctional institutions.
The Kansas Department of Corrections asked Dana Britton, associate
professor of sociology at K-State, to look at a program at the Ellsworth
Correctional Facility for men and two programs at the Topeka Correctional
Facility for women.
Britton
was assisted by Andrea Button, K-State graduate student in sociology,
Manhattan.
At
Ellsworth, inmates work with Canine Assistance Rehabilitation Education
and Services Inc. to teach commands to assistance dogs that might
become therapy dogs, hearing assistance dogs or dogs for people
who have seizures. At Topeka, women in medium and maximum security
participate in the Blue Ribbon dog program. Dogs that otherwise
would be euthanized come from the Helping Hands Humane Society to
the prison. Inmates spend six weeks to eight weeks teaching basic
commands like "sit" and "stay" before dogs are
adopted by people in the community. Other women in the facility
work with Kansas Specialty Dog Service Inc. to train assistance
dogs on a volunteer basis.
The
men at Ellsworth and the Topeka women in the Blue Ribbon program
are paid a maximum of $1.05 per day, as they would be for other
prison work.
Although
programs like these that bring dogs into prisons are widespread
-- more than 150 in the United States and others in Canada, Australia,
New Zealand and Italy -- Britton said there previously wasn't much
information about what exactly the programs do. So she interviewed
male and female inmates, prison administrators, program volunteers
and the people who own the dogs after the animals have completed
the programs.
Britton
said she found plenty of evidence that the programs are beneficial.
For one thing, the programs seem to decrease disciplinary infractions
because inmates have to be free of disciplinary reports to participate,
and they lose their dogs if they violate prison policies.
"To
lose a dog, that's a pretty serious disincentive for a prison inmate,"
Britton said.
Having
interaction with the dogs also seems to improve inmates' mental
health, especially among the women. Some women reported becoming
less reliant on antidepressants because of their work with the dogs.
Britton said this aspect of the dog programs seems particularly
promising, considering women in prison are three times more likely
than men in prison to be prescribed psychotropic medications. Men
in prison benefited emotionally, too, reporting that working with
the dogs helped them to control their anger and learn more patience,
Britton said.
Britton
also said she found evidence of improved relationships between inmates
and staff because of the dog training programs.
"Prison
has an 'us and them' subculture," said Britton, who has done
extensive research on prisons. "But it's hard for anyone to
walk past a puppy and not pet it."
The
programs also have the ability to connect inmates and the outside
community. Britton said she attended a graduation ceremony at the
Ellsworth facility were male inmates were able to meet the people
receiving the assistance dogs they trained. As a result, many of
the recipients' attitudes about prison changed, Britton said.
"The
graduation is a powerful experience," Britton said. "The
guys were able to tell their stories, and the people were able to
talk about what the dogs will do for them."
According
to Britton, dog training programs in prisons don't rely on taxpayer
money except for the programs that pay wages -- but inmates would
earn wages for other types of work around the prison anyway. The
dog food usually is donated, and inmates sometimes organize fundraisers
for the programs. The trainers who instruct inmates on training
the dogs are volunteers, whereas dog training in the private sector
can be very expensive.
"These
dogs do amazing things," Britton said. "People in the
community are able to get them free or at a reduced cost. I think
the programs have an amazing effect. They're all run on a shoestring
budget. The bottom line is these programs are enormously beneficial.
They are a win-win situation for the prison and for the community."
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