We always seem to go back and forth in this country about whether prison is just a way to punish criminals or a way to rehabilitate them and have them reenter society. Right now, I'd say the system is stacked pretty much in favor of punishment, and we've given up on helping prisoners be a pert of siciety when they get out. Prison now is mostly a school for criminals --- they go in, learn to hate society, make connections with other criminals, and learn how to be even worse criminals. If this dog program could help prisoners learn some kind of respect for other living things, and some kind of self discipline, and connect with some kind of humanity within themselves, then it's probably a good thing. But of course, people who view prison primarily as punishment will say that we didn't send these people to prison so that they can play with puppies --- it's punishment! It's a hard call. Prison should be punishment, but not to the point where we make our own problems worse when they get out. Making prisoners into worse criminals for the sake of punihing them is a case of cutting off your nose to spite your face.

Whatever you think of this dog idea, the following idea is just plain crazy:

Quote Originally Posted by jimmy8778
... but i think instead of having a system where the dogs are in the prisons, the prisoners should go to local pounds and the such and goof off with the pound dogs ....
It's too much of a security risk. A prisoner might actually end up being adopted by an unsuspecting family! "Oh, mommy, can we get the big frisky hairless with the tatoos! He likes to play!"