A captive audience can lead to amazing things. When half of that audience consists of inmates serving time and the other half are adoptable pets waiting for their new homes, it leads to remarkable changes.SOS Pen Pals in Richmond, VA, works with six different correctional facilities in the state of Virginia. According to their Web site, they promote inmate rehabilitation and increased positive communication and interaction between correctional center staff and the rest of the inmate population.
The Pen Pals program gives inmates job skills to help their transition out of the corrections system. The animals chosen for the program live in the prison with the carefully chosen inmates to learn the skills they need to transition into life in a home. For the cats, this means socialization and for the dogs, training.
Two animal trainers oversee the program and focus on positive reinforcement. Through the program's efforts, more than 4,000 pets have found new homes!
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Hi Laura, why don't you write me at blog (at) petfinder.com and I'll see if I can pass your contact info along. I agree -- it is a great program! Thanks for your interest; it would be great if a similar program got going in your area.
This sounds like a wonderful program. Placing 4,000 animals is quite an accomplishment!
What a great thing to be doing!! Congratulations on all your efforts!! I would like to know more about how you start a program like that - here in So. Minnesota we don't have anything like that and I think that it would work to benefit the dogs and the prisoners! Could you send me more info? Thanks. Laura