Incarcerated Dog Training Programs are the Answer to Transforming Rehabilitation

• In Event: Poster Session 1

Abstract

Previous research determined that incarcerated individuals practicing the four aspects of Hirschi’s Social Bonding Theory were less prone to revert to deviant activities. Prior research used recidivism rates as a determinate to the effectiveness of incarcerated dog training programs (IDTP’s) and the increased levels of social bonding and executive functions. This study assessed how currently incarcerated individuals serving indeterminate sentences define their capability with these skills. Semi-structured in-depth interviews performed by an incarcerated researcher demonstrated how effectively incarcerated dog training programs (IDTP) increased social bonding (attachment, commitment, involvement and belief modifications) and executive functioning skills (planning, problem solving, decision-making and regulating personal behavior).These skills are not normally incorporated into traditional carceral rehabilitative curriculums. Both prisons and communities must foster the development of conventional social bonds. Interviewees reported significantly increasing levels of all eight factors correlating to length of employment as service dog trainers. Study findings also determined a rate of 90.5% of these incarcerated men hold a personal belief that people in society view them differently because of their incarceration. This research will support efforts to expand IDTPs inside carceral facilities as an additional rehabilitative component to practice valuable life-skills while also learning a vocational trade.

Author

• Jason Imbach, University of California, Irvine