Comprehensive evaluation of dog training and rehabilitation initiatives in correctional facilities

Abstract

Dog care and training programs housed in correctional facilities are part of a larger field of animal-assisted interventions happening across the globe. With the increase in prevalence has come the need for an evidence base on the effects of such programs, as well as theory to explain those effects. This chapter will discuss the need for formative (process) and summative (product) examination of prison-dog programs and make recommendations for comprehensive program evaluation. Suggestions include assessing all program stakeholders, examining human-animal interactions and related constructs, and monitoring the institutional environment. Challenges to evaluation are addressed, including institutional constraints and subsequent methodological limitations (e.g., ceiling effects, selection bias). Throughout the chapter, points are illustrated with examples drawn from an empirical study of a prison-dog training program.