Persuasive Speech Outline
Topic- Allowing Animal Ownership in Prisons for Prisoner Rehabilitation
- Some dogs and cats
o Just normal animals but they live in prison
- What do these look like?
o Some programs: adoption as a pet, rent a pet, or a facility in the prison with
these animals
o Some programs: jobs for prisoners to train and spend time caring for animals,
such as cats and dogs
 Prisoners usually have undesirable jobs: digging graves, putting out
wildfires, jobs that make them feel even worthless/not valuable
 Programs have benefits, decreases recidivism, improves confidence and
self-efficacy, improves prison relationships between prisoners and
prisoners/staff, allows energy to be put into something positive
 Unconditional love, animals don’t care about if you have a prison
jumpsuit on or not, first time some of these inmates have received care
from someone else,
 Example: Smith was in for murder and had no behavioral issues in his
years at the prison, trained dogs through the DAWGS program, after he
went on probation, he had job opportunities and left a life of crime and
has a positive outlook on life
o Animals live in the cell, dogs usually have a crate to have a safe place, and spend
much of the day out on the block/in the yard; not confined all day
- Risk of prisoners: application like any adoption
o Background check of crimes/behavioral issues
o Same risk as adopting to the public, people have criminal records or have never
been arrested
- A collective benefit
o Staff enjoy their jobs more and are happier to come to work
 Creates an all-around more positive environment to work and live in
which benefits prisoners
 High stress job – emotional benefits of having an animal in the space
- Emotional support
o Prison is awful and a depressive time
 Science has proven that animals increase serotonin and happiness in
individuals and helps improve view on life
- Prison is supposed to be punishment
o Misconception – prison is supposed to be about reformation and rehabilitation
 The goal of prison is to rehabilitate the inmate and help them to become
a better individual and citizen once they are released
 Programs such as these work towards achieving these goals and bring
positive experiences
o Lifers have no reason to want to be rehabilitated – they’ll never be released

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Lifers view prison as their home, and tend to be some of the least violent
inmates and have the least amount of behavioral issues
 Makes prison a less horrible place for them to spend the rest of their life
in
Skeptics have even seen the benefit
o Mother – unit manager in prison, in charge of two blocks, one having the DAWGS
program
o Was highly against the program – dogs don’t belong in prison
o Saw the benefit that the program brought to both the prisoners and her fellow
employees, one of the biggest supporters of the program now
How to get it to happen
o Support legislature that allows more prison rehabilitation programs such as
these programs
o Support rescues and shelters that work with prisons and are actively
participating in existing prison programs
Sources
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/mood-boosting-power-of-dogs.htm
https://www.boredpanda.com/inmates-pet-rehabilitation-pendleton-correctional-facilityforward/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic