Think Outside the Cage: Dog Training In Women's Prison

Who is the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition?

Our mission is to reverse the trend of mass incarceration in Colorado. We are a coalition of nearly 7,000 individual members and over 100 faith and community organizations who have united to stop perpetual prison expansion in Colorado through policy and sentence reform.

Our chief areas of interest include drug policy reform, women in prison, racial injustice, the impact of incarceration on children and families, the problems associated with re-entry and stopping the practice of using private prisons in our state.

If you would like to be involved please go to our website and become a member.

Monday, February 11, 2008

Dog Training In Women's Prison

We have similar program in Colorado, the premise is the important part. The relationship between someone who is in prison and and another being who they can trust and who trusts them builds a deep-seated emotional connection that many have never had the opportunity to have.

DWIGHT, Ill. - As several hundred women dressed in dark canvas uniforms marched across the prison grounds under the watchful eyes of heavyset guards, inmate Jennifer Lawson stood outside her unlocked cell and smiled as she quietly trained a black poodle to turn on a light and open a heavy steel door.

She once was quick to anger and even assaulted a guard, but thanks to an innovative type of rehabilitation that pairs inmates with dogs, Lawson is now considered a model prisoner.

Chicago