A Nebraska jail has a program that houses inmates with emotional support animals.
For ten years, the Lincoln County Detention Center has housed cats in many of the pods to provide emotional support for inmates.
“I sit there and talk to him,” inmates Harlie Saathoff and Keonna Carter said. “People talk to their pets. He listens to me. I call him my pretty green-eyed boy.
These felines whisk away the isolation some inmates feel from being away from their loved ones.
βThe cats give them responsibility, so it is someone to care for,” said lieutenant Penny Ball. “They may be missing family, children, nieces, and nephews. They have a place to give that emotional support. They have place to give their care.”
At times, itβs hard for some inmates to stay positive.
βSometimes when we are in our rooms and people are crying, he knows which room it is,” Saathoff and Carter said. “He can sense it and that’s really nice.”
But the cats purr into the hearts of the inmates when they need it most.
“There is a lot of tension being in here with confined spaces and stuff,” said inmate Fransico Ziphfer. “With the cat around, it eases the tension. Everyone loves the cat. Everyone takes care of him and he takes care of everyone.β
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Absolutely amazing this should be done with homeless people to they might actually be helpful in places like this and I. Setting that keeps them safe but helpful
I can’t believe this!!!! This is sooooo amazing!Β‘!!! I’m so happy to hear of a jail allowing this and seeing the benefits!!!! I am a female and was incarcerated (only for a year but to anyone that’s ever been, even if it was just that little amount of time, but it still sucks too). I was so amazed one day seeing a puppy walking around with a woman there and it literally just made my entire soul happier….. In CT there’s two sides, if you’re not sentenced you’re on the west side in a cell block style. But once sentenced and as long as your classified to be okay, you get moved to the east side which is more dorm style and have a bit more freedom of being outside and obtaining more interesting jobs, like grounds of maintenance just for example. But being around animals, especially dogs for literally my entire life, i was overwhelmed with a happiness in my heart that i was able to be staying in the building that does the puppy program. Even though i wasn’t there long enough to qualify to have one to begin the early stages of their training before they move on elsewhere to continue their training to become actual guide dogs it was the nicest thing to just see and sometimes be able to help out with. I think people forget that even though people might have made a mistake in their life, but that contact or just seeing an animal that whether in my building or just walking through to the other side ,(which they are in training mode still though) but where the other inmates are locked down even more but just what that happiness just really does to people especially ones away from there own pets/kids/family really does for people there ECT.. what it really does to make your day