Animal therapy brings companionship in prisons and young offenders’ schools
Animal therapy brings companionship in prisons and young offenders’ schools
2024-06-25
Animal therapy is being applied in prisons and young offenders’ rehabilitation institutions, to help people who have committed crimes find a new relationship with life. Students at a young offenders’ school in Yanchao District, Kaohsiung, have started to adopt stray cats and dogs. They say it brings companionship and helps them understand how to interact with other people, too. Teachers say that working with animals provides many different opportunities to explore life lessons. A similar scheme has recently begun in Pingtung Prison.
A ginger tortoiseshell cat tucks into his meal happily. He doesn’t mind the crowd of students hanging around, who are all his familiar friends.
A-wei
Mingyang High School student
My family live far away and they don’t come visit me often. The cat feels like my family.
A-chun
Mingyang High School student
Interacting with the animals and fish helps me understand how to interact with people.
Mingyang High School, in Kaohsiung’s Yanchao District, is a young offenders’ rehabilitation school. The 130 young people here have been convicted of serious offences. The schoolopened its doors six years ago, and students here are encouraged to learn how to take care of rescued cats and dogs, which has unexpectedly brought a breath of fresh air to the school.
Tu Chih-hung
Mingyang High School principal
They may have some unhappy relationships with people. But at least they can be kind to animals, and through that, they can correctly build up a normal kind of connection with other living beings.
The animals give the students companionship, and in lessons, teachers help them understand the value of life.
Tu Chih-hung
Mingyang High School principal
Teachers will often use opportunities like this for education, to tell them, “Humans are like shrimps. If they don’t shed their old shell they can’t grow anymore. Coming out of your shell is painful, and it’s dangerous, but it’s something we have to go through in life.”
A similar project began at Pingtung Prison in May. The prison began a “Caring for Dogs” class, a form of animal therapy.
Hou Ya-ning
R.O.C. Pet Trade Association secretary general
We hope they can strengthen their hearts, their inner beings, and be free, and in the future become capable of stepping back into society.
Interacting with animals is deeply therapeutic for many people, and of course those in detention are no different. Everyone involved hopes these furry friends will be another link in the process of helping these young people find their way in life again.
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明陽中學特殊輔導員! 毛孩療癒人心引導少年犯走回正途
2024-06-25
位於高雄燕巢區的明陽中學，是少年戒治學校，6年前開始，鼓勵接受輔導的少年犯，學習照顧流浪犬貓，和可愛動物的互動中，不僅紓解內心的孤獨，也透過水族箱裡，水晶蝦脫殼的過程，了解成長的意義，成了他們未來回歸社會的正向力量。
橘白相間的貓，津津有味吃著肉泥，即使旁邊圍著一群人，只要有熟悉的學生在旁陪伴就不怕。
[[明陽中學同學 阿緯]]
“我的家人離這邊就是很遠，不常來探望。(犬貓)有點家人的那種感覺。”
[[明陽中學同學 阿春]]
“在跟這些動物，跟這些魚在互動的時候，了解說，怎麼去跟人家互動。”
位於高雄燕巢區的明陽中學，是少年戒治學校，裡面共有130位判重刑的青少年，6年前開始，校方鼓勵接受輔導的少年犯，學習照顧流浪犬貓，卻意外開啟心境轉變。
[[明陽中學校長 涂志宏]]
“除了有不愉快的一些人際關係之外，最起碼在友善動物這個部分，可以正確的建立他跟生命之間的一種正常的連結。”
動物讓學生有陪伴感，老師也會透過課程，帶領他們了解生命意義。
[[明陽中學校長 涂志宏]]
“常常老師們也會透過這種機會教育，告訴他，人跟蝦都一樣，如果不脫殼是不會長大，脫殼雖然痛苦也危險，但是這是生命當中的必要。”
今年5月，法務部矯正署屏東監獄，也推動監獄社交關懷犬課程，導入動物治療。
[[台灣省寵物商業同業公會秘書長 侯亞寧]]
“希望他能強大自己的內心，可以自由地，未來有能力再步入社會。”
藉由和不同動物相處，不僅療癒人心，也紓解了收容人內心的壓力，幫助未來回歸社會。
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