Prison Sees Change in Prisoners After Shelter Cats Are Brought In
Cats can change a room fast, and in one Indiana prison, they changed the mood of the whole place. What started as a shelter rescue program soon became something the inmates, staff, and animals all felt in different ways.
The prison brought in cats from a shelter so they could be cared for by prisoners while they waited for adoption. The setup gave the cats a better chance at trust, while the inmates got a daily routine built around feeding, grooming, and responsibility.
It did not take long for the results to stand out, and the program’s success kept spreading. Here is how it worked.
In 2015, the Animal Protection League and Pendleton Correctional Facility in Indiana started a program called F.O.R.W.A.R.
The Idea Behind the Program
The concept behind the program was to take cats from a shelter and allow the inmates of the correctional facility to care for them. This proved successful for all parties involved.
Many of the Cats Who Were in the Shelter Had Become Antisocial Due to Mistreatment.
This has made them hard to adopt. This program helps them regain trust in people, thus making it easier to find them a home.
The Cats Become More Trusting of People as the Inmates Clean, Groom, and Feed Them.
This Program Also Allows Inmates to Learn How to Care for Another Living Creature.
“I’ve had offenders tell me that when they got an animal, it was the first time they could remember allowing themselves to care about something, to love something,” said the director of APL, Maleah Stringer.
The arrangement gave both sides a reason to settle into a routine.
It’s like those rescue cats transforming from street life into snuggles in loving homes.
“It teaches them responsibility, how to interact in a group using non-violent methods to solve problems, and gives them the unconditional love of a pet – something many of these inmates have never known,” the APL writes on their website.
This Program Has Been So Successful That Other Similar Programs Have Emerged All Over the United States.
It was a small idea that ended up making a big impression.
“The MCKC Program has reduced offender idleness, taught offenders about responsibility, and increased their self-esteem. Since the program’s inception, offenders have been motivated to enroll in school, obtain jobs, obey unit rules, and improve their hygiene so that they may become MCKC participants. The presence of animals on E Unit has added a new calmness to E Unit’s therapeutic milieu and strengthened its community spirit,” Purrfect Pals writes on their website.
After seeing how F.O.R.W.A.R. rebuilt trust, check out 50 rescued cats turning fear into joy after adoption.
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