Underdogs United The effectiveness of a dog training program in prison

Correctional programming is provided to people during incarceration to improve socioemotional functioning and behavior. One popular program that is offered in correctional facilities across the world is the community service dog training program. In this type of Animal Assisted Intervention, incarcerated people are matched with a shelter dog, whom they train for eight weeks during the dogs’ visits to the prison. The rationale underlying these programs is that by increasing the dogs’ adoption chances through training, incarcerated people’s rehabilitation chances also improve, thereby creating a “win-win” situation for both dogs and humans. A large body of (mostly qualitative) research reports beneficial socioemotional and psychological effects of dog training programs on its participants, however, limited systematic and controlled research has been conducted. The general aim of this dissertation was to increase the knowledge on the effectiveness of dog training programs in prison. An up-to-date overview was provided on the effectiveness of prison-based dog programs. In addition, the effectiveness of the most widely implemented prison-based dog training program in the Netherlands was evaluated. In this dissertation, study results can be found on the short- and long-term effectiveness of this dog training program for juveniles and adults during incarceration. In general, limited support was found for the overall effectiveness of the dog training program on improving socioemotional functioning and reducing recidivism. Some heterogeneity in participants’ responsiveness to the intervention was found. Research strengths and limitations are discussed and suggestions for future research are provided.