Prison-based Dog Programs (PBDPs) are used in correctional facilities to decrease recidivism and improve social-emotional functioning. The aim of this meta-analysis was to provide an overview of the effectiveness of PBDPs, accounting for the potential influence of study, program, and sample characteristics through moderator analyses. We included 11 manuscripts, seven published and four unpublished, yielding 93 effect sizes ( N = 3,013). Eight studies were quasi-experimental and three were randomized controlled trials. The overall effect of PBDPs was significant and small ( d = 0.153, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.026, 0.281]), and may have been somewhat inflated by possible publication bias, while study quality was generally low. Moderator analyses showed that the overall effect was largely driven by the small-to-medium effect of PBDPs on recidivism ( d = 0.414, 95% CI = [0.153, 0.676]). It is therefore concluded that PBDPs may be a promising intervention to reduce recidivism, although more (robust) research is needed.

BackgroundMany former inmates recidivate, resulting in high costs for societies worldwide. Evidence based treatment practices may not work in prisons, due to detainees’ lacking motivation, impaired well-being, and an unsafe group environment. One attempt to improve social group climate and well-being is the use of Prison-based Animal Programs (PAP). Using a quasi-experimental design, the aim of the current study is to examine the effectiveness of one such PAP in the Netherlands: Dutch Cell Dogs (DCD).Methods/DesignParticipants (N = 256) from 12 justice centers, including psychiatric, juvenile and adult facilities, will be recruited. Half of the sample (n = 128) will receive DCD training after voluntarily signing up (intervention group); The other half (n = 128) will be recruited to participate in the research and receive treatment-as-usual (TAU/Ccomparison group). Factors related to psychosocial functioning (e.g., self-esteem, empathy, self-control, life satisfaction, attention) and general therapeutic factors (i.e., therapeutic alliance, treatment motivation), expected to contribute to treatment success, will be assessed to measure the effectiveness of DCD. In addition, behavioral problems will be measured as well as recidivism rates. Questionnaires and neuropsychological tests will be employed to measure aforementioned outcome variables. Moreover, physiological data, based on heart rate and cortisol measures, will be collected to provide insight into the functioning of participants’ physiological stress response and to determine whether stress reduction occurs over time. Multimethod data collection will occur at pre-training (T1), at 1-month (halfway training/T2), at 2-months (end training/T3), and 6-months after the end of the training (follow up/T4).DiscussionThis is the first study to examine the effectiveness of a widely implemented PAP in the Netherlands. Challenges associated with conducting the proposed study are typical for practice based research in correctional settings (e.g., a demanding workload of staff, lack of motivation to participate in research). Study results on the effects of a PAP will have an impact on inmates, justice centers, and municipalities across the Netherlands.Trial registrationRetrospectively registered. The Netherlands National Trial Register TC = 6894.

This study examined the effectiveness of Dutch Cell Dogs (DCD), a prison-based dog training program that aims to improve socioemotional functioning of incarcerated youth by giving them the opportunity to train a shelter dog. Primary (aggression and institutional infractions) and secondary (wellbeing and therapeutic functioning) outcomes were assessed for the intervention ( n = 61) and comparison group ( n = 77) before the start of DCD, after 4 weeks, and after 8 weeks at posttest. Overall, DCD participation was not effective. Compared to the comparison group, institutional infractions decreased in DCD participants with an immigrant background and increased in DCD participants with a native Dutch background. In addition, DCD participation reduced the quality of the therapeutic alliance for younger participants and those in secure residential facilities. The current study demonstrated heterogeneity in DTP responsiveness. Future research with robust designs and sufficiently large samples is needed to further identify who benefits from DTPs.

This quasi-experimental study examined the short-term effectiveness of Dutch Cell Dogs (DCD), a short prison-based dogtraining program, on anti-social behavioral and wellbeing outcomes of incarcerated adults (n = 138; men = 133; women = 5). Little is known about the responsivity of subgroupsand the prerequisites of changein dog-training programs (DTPs). Therefore, the role of moderators (age, cultural background, correctional facility type) and predictors (dog bond, implementation process) of DCD was also assessed. Results demonstrated that DCD (n = 70) did not outperform treatment-asusual (TAU; n = 68) in any of the outcomes, although a small negative effect was found for aggression (F (1,135) = 5.552, p = 0.020), which appeared driven by the group of participants who had a weaker bond with the dog. This group had higher aggression levels after the program, compared with TAU (F (1, 98) = 9.443, p = 0.003). The dog bond was not associated with any other outcomes post-intervention. In addition, age moderated program effectiveness on infractions (Wald χ 2(1) = 6.254, p = 0.012), suggesting differential effects for younger (< 36 years) participants. No evidence was found for the other moderators and predictor of implementation quality. In conclusion, DCD did not outperform TAU in anti-social behavioral and wellbeing outcomes. Some evidence for predictors and moderators were found. The present study is only one of the first to examine what matters for whom in a DTP for incarcerated adults. More research, preferably in the form of randomized controlled trials with sufficiently large sample sizes, is needed.

No abstract