Meet the cats who help prisoners rehabilitate
Meet the cats who help prisoners rehabilitate
Pendleton prison in Indiana shelters both cats and prisoners, which helps both sides receive a better life.
Pendleton prison in Indiana shelters both cats and prisoners, which helps both sides receive a better life.
Pendleton Correctional Facility Mission Statement
As an extension of the Animal Protection League (APL), the goal of the F.O.R.W.A.R.D. Program is to foster shelter cats in a safe, healthy and cage free environment while teaching offender cat caregivers responsibility, compassion and empathy.
What Does F.O.R.W.A.R.D Stand For?
F.O.R.W.A.R.D.:
Feline and Offenders Rehabilitation With Affection, Reformation and Dedication
The therapeutic power of cats and dogs have been known for years. They help humans to reduce depression and anxiety, feel less lonely and even feel better physically as they can even help decrease human blood pressure.
In 2015 in the state of Indiana, Animal Protection League started the wonderful F.O.R.W.A.R.D program in Pendleton Correctional Facility. The idea is to adopt cats from a shelter and place them in the prison so inmates could take care of them.
Many cats who end up at the shelter have a long history of abuse. They don't trust people and have a low chance of being adopted. What they need is patient and loving care and this program provides just that!
The inmates get an opportunity to learn how to care for and take responsibility for a living creature. “It teaches them responsibility, how to interact in a group using non-violent methods to solve problems and gives them the unconditional love of a pet – something many of these inmates have never known,” the APL writes on their website. Heartwarming is an understatement!