Tuckersmom
03-26-2009, 08:10 PM
Max works in a prison in Maine. He is used to give prisoners a sense of responsibility and comfort.
From Mainetoday.com
EAST MADISON -- Max the golden retriever patters up for a scratch behind the ear from one of his new pals -- a Somerset County Jail inmate who is doing nine months for burglary.
The dog leans in, looks up and there is a connection, a bond.
Max is part of a program introduced in February by Somerset County Sheriff Barry DeLong to ease tensions inside the cell block and provide companionship.
The women's section of the jail is next on the list to get a dog, he said.
He calls them Pod Dogs.
"If you're in here and you don't have a personal friend in the world, a dog doesn't care what your crimes are, what you've done and what you haven't done -- he's just here to be your friend," DeLong said this week from Pod B at the new jail. "We've got a lot of inmates that need a friend.
"It's worked superbly well, even better than I thought it would."
Max lives in a small dog house at one end of the pod, but is free to wander and hang out with his buddies, DeLong said. Inmates feed him, walk him and take him to the fenced-in outside yard.
"He lives right here," the sheriff said.
B Pod, completed in November, has room for 60 inmates, but currently 48 men live in cells that surround a common area in the middle, where Max lives.
"He's pretty nice, friendly and his manners are really good," said inmate Matthew Grass, 21, of Skowhegan, who is doing time for a probation violation. "He likes to play with you. It's something to do where you have nothing else to do, other than think about time."
DeLong said he found the 6-year-old dog in an animal shelter after putting the word out about his Pod Dog program.
"Having dogs -- I've owned dogs all my life -- I know they are comforting," DeLong said, adding that dogs have a calming effect on the jail population.
Maj. Cory Swope, assistant jail administrator, agreed.
"It's had quite a positive impact on the pod, just the tone on the pod when you walk in, it's knocked it down a few levels," Swope said. "Incidents have decreased with the dog here.
"You look at nursing homes, hospitals, most of them have some type of program involving animals. It makes sense expanding it to a setting like this and based on our program at this point, statistics are comparable to those type of settings."
A study cited by the Correction Service of Canada shows pets provide unconditional love and acceptance in a prison setting, offering spontaneous affection and undying loyalty, something the inmate population might not be accustomed to on the outside.
Offenders often experience loneliness as an impact of incarceration, the study indicates, and animals have been shown to significantly reduce feelings of isolation and frustration.
Some prisons establish programs involving pets for the sole benefit of the inmates, while other programs have the added goal of saving animals, another study at K9buddies.org shows.
The inmates learn responsibility, how to love and be loved, and also can learn about the care and feeding of animals, which can be used to earn a living when they are released. It gives them a chance to perform a meaningful service to society, K9buddies reports. Participating institutions report fewer disciplinary problems and a great desire by inmates to adhere to rules to avoid jeopardizing their participation in the program.
Swope said Somerset County inmates also are reporting the positive effects of having Max around. "In talking to the individuals, that is what they are reporting also -- somebody is always petting him; he's always wagging his tail here; it absolutely is having a positive effect," Swope said.
DeLong said Max had been living with an elderly couple and was inherited by their son, who did not have the time to look after Max.
Max was turned over to an animal shelter, where DeLong found him.
The dog was donated by the shelter at no cost to county taxpayers, he said, adding that dog dishes, 40 pounds of dog food and dog treats also were donated. "He was checked out by a veterinarian and was up to date on all his shots," DeLong said. "They wanted a home for the dog; otherwise they were going to have to put him down.
"All the food now to feed the dog comes out of the inmate welfare account, so inmates actually pay to feed the dog and maintain it -- we don't have one penny invested."
Inmate Jason Burnham, 34, of Skowhegan, who is also serving time on a probation violation, said, "I think it's good for inmates' morale to have a dog around and to interact with the dog if they're nervous, not used to being in a jail setting, it helps them. It makes them feel more comfortable to be able to pay attention to the dog and not have to be nervous in this environment."
Fellow inmate Paul Biester, 20, of Westville, N.J., in for burglary, agreed.
"I think it just keeps inmates' minds off of things; you don't have to think about a lot of stuff," Biester said. "You start playing with the dog, it makes you feel better. It does for me, anyways. It's good."
Doug Harlow -- 474-9534, ext. 342
dharlow@centralmaine.com
From Mainetoday.com
EAST MADISON -- Max the golden retriever patters up for a scratch behind the ear from one of his new pals -- a Somerset County Jail inmate who is doing nine months for burglary.
The dog leans in, looks up and there is a connection, a bond.
Max is part of a program introduced in February by Somerset County Sheriff Barry DeLong to ease tensions inside the cell block and provide companionship.
The women's section of the jail is next on the list to get a dog, he said.
He calls them Pod Dogs.
"If you're in here and you don't have a personal friend in the world, a dog doesn't care what your crimes are, what you've done and what you haven't done -- he's just here to be your friend," DeLong said this week from Pod B at the new jail. "We've got a lot of inmates that need a friend.
"It's worked superbly well, even better than I thought it would."
Max lives in a small dog house at one end of the pod, but is free to wander and hang out with his buddies, DeLong said. Inmates feed him, walk him and take him to the fenced-in outside yard.
"He lives right here," the sheriff said.
B Pod, completed in November, has room for 60 inmates, but currently 48 men live in cells that surround a common area in the middle, where Max lives.
"He's pretty nice, friendly and his manners are really good," said inmate Matthew Grass, 21, of Skowhegan, who is doing time for a probation violation. "He likes to play with you. It's something to do where you have nothing else to do, other than think about time."
DeLong said he found the 6-year-old dog in an animal shelter after putting the word out about his Pod Dog program.
"Having dogs -- I've owned dogs all my life -- I know they are comforting," DeLong said, adding that dogs have a calming effect on the jail population.
Maj. Cory Swope, assistant jail administrator, agreed.
"It's had quite a positive impact on the pod, just the tone on the pod when you walk in, it's knocked it down a few levels," Swope said. "Incidents have decreased with the dog here.
"You look at nursing homes, hospitals, most of them have some type of program involving animals. It makes sense expanding it to a setting like this and based on our program at this point, statistics are comparable to those type of settings."
A study cited by the Correction Service of Canada shows pets provide unconditional love and acceptance in a prison setting, offering spontaneous affection and undying loyalty, something the inmate population might not be accustomed to on the outside.
Offenders often experience loneliness as an impact of incarceration, the study indicates, and animals have been shown to significantly reduce feelings of isolation and frustration.
Some prisons establish programs involving pets for the sole benefit of the inmates, while other programs have the added goal of saving animals, another study at K9buddies.org shows.
The inmates learn responsibility, how to love and be loved, and also can learn about the care and feeding of animals, which can be used to earn a living when they are released. It gives them a chance to perform a meaningful service to society, K9buddies reports. Participating institutions report fewer disciplinary problems and a great desire by inmates to adhere to rules to avoid jeopardizing their participation in the program.
Swope said Somerset County inmates also are reporting the positive effects of having Max around. "In talking to the individuals, that is what they are reporting also -- somebody is always petting him; he's always wagging his tail here; it absolutely is having a positive effect," Swope said.
DeLong said Max had been living with an elderly couple and was inherited by their son, who did not have the time to look after Max.
Max was turned over to an animal shelter, where DeLong found him.
The dog was donated by the shelter at no cost to county taxpayers, he said, adding that dog dishes, 40 pounds of dog food and dog treats also were donated. "He was checked out by a veterinarian and was up to date on all his shots," DeLong said. "They wanted a home for the dog; otherwise they were going to have to put him down.
"All the food now to feed the dog comes out of the inmate welfare account, so inmates actually pay to feed the dog and maintain it -- we don't have one penny invested."
Inmate Jason Burnham, 34, of Skowhegan, who is also serving time on a probation violation, said, "I think it's good for inmates' morale to have a dog around and to interact with the dog if they're nervous, not used to being in a jail setting, it helps them. It makes them feel more comfortable to be able to pay attention to the dog and not have to be nervous in this environment."
Fellow inmate Paul Biester, 20, of Westville, N.J., in for burglary, agreed.
"I think it just keeps inmates' minds off of things; you don't have to think about a lot of stuff," Biester said. "You start playing with the dog, it makes you feel better. It does for me, anyways. It's good."
Doug Harlow -- 474-9534, ext. 342
dharlow@centralmaine.com