Pets In Prison.. PPO Chief Sees The Light

The argument for giving prisoners in UK jails the responsibility of looking after pets (particularly dogs), as part of their rehabilitation, has resurfaced. The subject was first broached by UKPets 4 years ago in its article: Homeless Dogs Doing Porridge - Isn't it about time we put more homeless dogs behind bars?.

Now, after doing time in Google, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, Stephen Shaw CBE has discovered for himself the benefits of allowing prisoners to keep pets.

In the September issue of the prisoner magazine Inside Time Mr Shaw reveals his epiphanic conversion. He tells us that he has found a lot of evidence that having a pet to look after and train has a genuinely therapeutic effect, one which could be applied to prisoners:

"Thanks to the power of Google," he writes, "I have come across research from America that claims remarkable results for a programme linking problem youths with problem dogs, the two groups learning acceptable behaviour from each other. There is also a study that found better staff-prisoner relationships, and reduced violence, drug abuse and even suicide as a result of pet programmes in prisons.

"Google also teaches me that the Prison Service has never commissioned any research of its own into the potential of animal-assisted therapy in the rehabilitation of offenders."

Mr Shaw we congratulate you on your discovery. Please now follow me back in time..

It is November 2003 and, in response to a hugely positive report from the US, on the benefits of pets in prisons, UKPets reports the writings of a member of Ronnie Knight's (now defunct) website Crooks Reunited. The writer said:

"I wish that our Authorities would read this and take note of all the good bringing man and dog together under similar circumstances has done.

"Saving dogs lives and teaching inmates to love and respect something has got to be admired. What an achievement to all involved".

In 2003 we asked the prisons agency HMP Enterprises if they knew of any past or future plans to investigate a pets-as-therapy scheme for UK prisons.. we were told there were no such plans.

In 2003 Mr Knight told us it was a real issue, with the potential to do a lot of good in prisons, but that there was little hope of such a scheme being adopted in UK prisons.

Stephen Shaw may be right in the conclusion his article makes:

"Perhaps they [the Prison Service] are frightened of the tabloid headlines (Barking Mad etc)."

Yes, perhaps. Perhaps, despite all of the evidence describing the positive contributions animals can bring to a prisoner's rehabilitation, we the public would simply much rather see them rot in hell. Nuff said.