Animals have the ability to help humans heal. People have long recognized and appreciated the therapeutic value of dogs and cats.
Animals may aid with and anxiety, as well as being excellent companions for improving our emotions and lowering pressure.
Even convicted can benefit from their potential to change lives. In 2015, the state of Indiana teamed up with the Animal Protection League to test out a fantastic initiative called F.O.R.W.A.R.D. at the Pendleton Correctional Facility.
The clever idea was to put shelter cats in the penitentiary institution and have prisoners take care of them. For both the convicts and the cats, the idea proved to be a fantastic endeavor.
Many of these shelter cats come from bad situations, and the chance to connect with humans in a supervised atmosphere helps them to receive the attention and care they need.
Many of these felines are distrustful and end up spending long amounts of time in shelters, where their prospects of getting adopted dwindle. Until these cats find their ultimate homes, the organization provides them patience and affection.
The inmates feed, groom, and clean up after the cats, helping them to regain their confidence in people.
The cats aren’t the only ones that gain; convicts are given the opportunity to acquire compassion while caring for a needy animal and are given responsibility.
“I’ve had offenders tell me that getting an animal was the first time they’d ever let themselves to care about something, to love something,” said Maleah Stringer, the director of APL.
“I’ve had offenders tell me that getting an animal was the first time they’d ever let themselves to care about something, to love something,” said Maleah Stringer, the director of APL.
The APL claims on its website that “it teaches them responsibility, how to engage in a group utilizing nonviolent techniques to solve problems, and provides them the unconditional love of a pet — something many of these convicts have never felt.”
Animal-assisted programs are gaining traction in US jails, and Monroe Correctional Complex-Special Offender Unit is no exception, partnering with Purrfect Pals.
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