The Impact of Animals on Human Welfare
Scientific research has confirmed that the interaction of humans with animals reduces stress and aggression, increases empathy, enhances the feeling of responsibility for others and contributes to overall mental and physical health and welfare. Animal Assisted Therapy is applied with the intention to help people face a variety of challenges: learning difficulties, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, fears, phobia, anxiety, anger… Accordingly, therapeutic animals more and more frequently enter: schools, hospitals, daily care centers for elderly persons and children, but also institutions for the enforcement of criminal sanctions.
Photography 1. Dog Shelter in Penal-Correctional Institution in Sremska Mitrovica. Author: Ana Batrićević. The photograph was made for the purpose of research about the implementation of dog-assisted re-socialization program for convicted and was published in book Batrićević, A. (2019) Druga šansa: Rad osuđenika sa psima u KPZ Sremska Mitrovica. Belgrade: Institute of Criminological and Sociological Research.
Dog-Assisted Re-Socialization Program for Convicted Persons
The program that consists of the re-socialization of convicted persons through work with shelter dogs has been implemented in Penal-Correctional Institution in Sremska Mitrovica since 2017. The convicted persons who are willing to do so, and who are assessed by the Institution’s expert team as eligible, can participate in the program that includes working with shelter dogs. Within this program, convicted persons take care of abandoned dogs and obtain basic knowledge about their training. At the beginning, the program was applied only in the semi-open department of the Institution, but, in 2019, seven dogs were also placed in the closed department of this Institution. The closed department of the Institution is provided with maximum security and there are more severe limitations and more intense prison deprivations. In this department, persons serving longer prison sentences are placed. That is the reason why working with dogs is of particular importance for them – it helps them even more to face the loss of liberty and the deprivations that come along with it in a constructive manner.
Photography 2. Convicted persons working with dogs in the closed department of Penal-Correctional Institution in Sremska Mitrovica. Author: Ana Batrićević. The photograph was made for the purpose of research about the implementation of dog assisted re-socialization program for convicted persons and was published in book Batrićević, A. (2020) Sloboda u krugu. Belgrade: Institute of Criminological and Sociological Research.
Dog Shelter in Penal-Correctional Institution in Sremska Mitrovica
What makes the dog-assisted re-socialization program in Penal-Correctional Institution in Sremska Mitrovica so special is the fact that the dogs that the convicted persons work with are placed within a dog shelter that is located inside the prison complex. More than 200 dogs are taken care of inside this institution for the enforcement of criminal sanctions. They are accommodated inside a clean and warm facility adjusted to their needs, and provided with veterinary medical care. Convicted persons feed them, clean them, groom them but also train them in order to prepare them for adoption. Namely, members of prison staff who have special knowledge and skills necessary for working with dogs and dog training, teach convicted persons how to train dogs. In that way, dogs are trained and taught basic commands, which increases their chances to find a new home.
Photography 3. Convicted persons working with dogs in the closed department of Penal-Correctional Institution in Sremska Mitrovica. Author: Ana Batrićević. The photograph was made for the purpose of research about the implementation of dog assisted re-socialization program for convicted persons and was published in book Batrićević, A. (2020) Sloboda u krugu. Belgrade: Institute of Criminological and Sociological Research.
The Effects of Dog-Assisted Re-socialization Program
From the very beginning of its application, numerous useful and positive effects of dog-assisted re-socialization program for convicted persons have been confirmed. First of all, abandoned dogs are removed from the streets and placed in a dog shelter, where they are treated in accordance with fundamental animal welfare principles. Once abandoned, these dogs are now protected and ready to be adopted. Besides, through their participation in the dog-assisted re-socialization program, the convicted persons are given the opportunity to obtain the certificate about the completed dog-training course and to find employment after serving their sentence. Finally, the positive effects of daily interaction with dogs have led to numerous positive changes when it comes to atmosphere and human relations inside the institution – among the convicted persons, as well as among the convicted persons on the one hand and prison staff members, on the other.
Photography 4. Convicted persons working with dogs in the closed department of Penal-Correctional Institution in Sremska Mitrovica. Author: Ana Batrićević. The photograph was made for the purpose of research about the implementation of dog assisted re-socialization program for convicted persons and was published in book Batrićević, A. (2020) Sloboda u krugu. Belgrade: Institute of Criminological and Sociological Research.
Working with Dogs as an Enhancement for Personal Development
Through daily interaction with animals, the convicted persons are given the space for personal growth and the opportunity to re-develop the feelings of empathy, responsibility and trust. This is confirmed by their personal impressions, describing how spending free time with animals fills them with tranquility, giving them positive energy and helping them to face unpleasant moments and conflict situations in an adequate manner.
Convicted persons who work with dogs also emphasize that their families represent a great source of support for them to persist in this kind of engagement as well as that they are proud of their work. Some of them decided to adopt a dog with whom they were working during the program. In that sense, a positive example is a family of one of the convicted persons, who adopted a dog while he was still serving his sentence.
Photography 5. Convicted persons working with dogs in the closed department of Penal-Correctional Institution in Sremska Mitrovica. Author: Ana Batrićević. The photograph was made for the purpose of research about the implementation of dog assisted re-socialization program for convicted persons and was published in book Batrićević, A. (2020) Sloboda u krugu. Belgrade: Institute of Criminological and Sociological Research.
Potential Effects of Dog-Assisted Re-socialization on the Reduction of Recidivism
Although it seems to be too early to discuss the effects of dog-assisted re-socialization program on the reduction of recidivism, i.e., reoffending, since the period of its implementation is rather short and many of the participants are still serving the sentence, convicted persons as well as prison staff members confirm that this program has contributed to: positive atmosphere, tranquility, decrease of tension in daily communication among the convicted persons as well as between convicted persons and prison staff members… All this thanks to the presence of dogs and everyday work with them, mutual love and compassion that daily interaction with animals is capable to awaken. Nevertheless, the answer to the question whether and to which extent this re-socialization program is effective when it comes to the suppression of recidivism requires the implementation of long-term and comprehensive research of the data about reoffending and the participation in the program, which would last for a couple of years or even decades. At this moment, however, there is no doubt that it produces direct positive effects on convicted persons, abandoned dogs and broader community. That is the reason why its application is being initiated and planned in other institutions for the enforcement of criminal sanctions in Serbia as well.
Photography 6. Convicted persons working with dogs in the closed department of Penal-Correctional Institution in Sremska Mitrovica. Author: Ana Batrićević. The photograph was made for the purpose of research about the implementation of dog assisted re-socialization program for convicted persons and was published in book Batrićević, A. (2020) Sloboda u krugu. Belgrade: Institute of Criminological and Sociological Research.
Ana Batrićević