Inmates
Studying prisoner wellness with Canine Assisted Learning, Animal Assisted Activities & Animal Assisted Therapy.
Do Dogs Help Inmates?
Do Dogs Help Inmates?
Do Dogs Help Inmates?
- Since 2013 Dr. Dell has been offering programming and undertaking research and evaluation at several prisons and jails in the prairie provinces of Canada.
- The purpose of this work is to evaluate the St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog (SK & MB) and PAWSitive Support Canine Assisted Learning (SK & AB) prison programs. These programs' offerings range from an animal assisted activity (AAA) [no therapist involved in the visit], to animal assisted therapy (AAT) [therapist involved in a goal-directed session], to canine-assisted learning (CAL) [a reflexive education based program involving instructors and dog handlers in a specific topic area]. These programs all offer a virtual follow-up visiting component.
- Much of this work is undertaken in collaboration with Dr. Darlene Chalmers from the University of Regina Faculty of Social Work program. In 2017, they were the Prairie Region Nominee for the Correctional Service Canada National Taylor Award for Outstanding Dedication and Volunteer Efforts with therapy dogs at the Regional Psychiatric Centre (SK) and Dumheller prison (AB).
- Highlights of their work was brought together in 2019 in a national project supported by the Citizen Engagement’s ‘Citizen's Advisory Committee Kickstarter’ initiative. An on-line magazine was developed to raises awareness about the many benefits of human-animal connections by: (i) profiling research findings and the multiple Correctional Service Canada animal-assisted interventions currently offered, and inviting inmates to submit PAWSitive memories-stories, art work, photos, and/or poetry- to be shared.
- Dr. Dell is currently working with her team and graduate students on further evaluation of the Drumheller CAL program, the in-person RPC AAT program, and during the COVID-19 pandemic an online AAA program at RPC.
- Dr. Dell also co-leads with Dr. Mansfield Mela, Department of Psychiatry at the University of Saskatchewan, a patient-oriented process at RPC that incorporates therapy dogs and aims to centre the patient voice to identify research topics.
Do Dogs Help Inmates?
Do Dogs Help Inmates?
HIGHLIGHTS
Academic Publications
- Gibson, M., Dell, C., Chalmers, D., Rath, G., Mela, M. (2023). “Unleashing Compassionate Care: Canine-Assisted Intervention as a Promising Approach to Prisonization in Canada and its Relevance to Forensic Psychiatry”. Frontiers in Psychiatry. 14:1219096. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1219096
- Smith, S., Dell, C., Claypool, T., Khalid, A. (2023). “Case Report: A Community Case Study of the Human-Animal Bond in Animal-Assisted Therapy: The Experiences of Forensic Patients with Therapy Dogs”. Frontiers in Psychiatry. 14: DOI 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1219305
- Chalmers, D., Dell, C., Dixon, J., Rath, G. (2023). “PAWSitive Support: A Canine Assisted Learning Program to Support Prisoners in Healing from Substance Use”. R. Ciernick. Responding to the Oppression of Addiction, 4th Edition. Canadian Scholars.
- Fletcher-Hildebrand, S., Williamson, L., Lawson, K., & Dell, C. 2023. “Remotely and Collaboratively Evaluating a Campus-based Therapy Dog Program During the COVID-19 Pandemic”. Evaluation and Program Planning. 98. DOI: 10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2023.102239
- Scheck, H., Williamson, L., Dell, C. 2022. “Understanding Forensic Psychiatric Patients’ Experience of Virtual Animal-Assisted Therapy Sessions during the COVID-19 Pandemic”. People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice. 5(1), 1-8.
- Lalonde, R., , Claypool, T., Dell, C. 2020. “PAWS Your Stress: The Student Experience of Therapy Dog Programming”. Canadian Journal for New Scholars in Education. 11(2). pp. 78-90.
- Dell, C., Chalmers, D., Cole, D., Dixon, J. 2019. “Accessing Relational Connections in Prison: An Evaluation of the St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog Program at Stony Mountain Institution”. The Annual Review of Interdisciplinary Justice Research. 8: 13-68.
- Dell, C., Chalmers, D., Stobbe, M., Rohr, B., Husband, A. 2019. “Animal Assisted Therapy in a Canadian Psychiatric Prison”. International Journal of Prisoner Health. 15(3): 209-231.
- Dell, C. & N. Poole. 2015. “Taking a PAWS to Reflect on how the Work of a Therapy Dog Supports a Trauma-Informed Approach to Offender Health “. Journal of Forensic Nursing. Vol 11, No 3: 167-173.
- 3 minute video abstract.
Magazine
- Dell, C▪, Chalmers, D, Goodfellow, H. (2019). Animal Memories. Saskatoon: University of Saskatchewan. 51 pp.
- News release, December 17, 2019.
- Additional submissions.
Other Publications
- Dell, C. and Chalmers, D.. 2019. How Some Offenders are Healing Through an Innovative Program at Drumheller Institution. Let’s Talk: Correctional Service Canada.
Presentations
- Gibson, M., Dell, C., Chalmers, D., Rath, G. 2023. "Pups in Prison: A Novel Approach to Prison Programming". Custody &Caring Conference. Saskatoon, SK.
- Dell, C., Chalmers, D., Stobbe, M., Rohr, B., Husband, A. 2020. “Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) in a Canadian Psychiatric Prison: Addressing Problematic Substance Use and Mental Health”. NIDA International Forum/CPDD International Research Poster Session, Virtual Platform.
- Chalmers, D. and Dell, C. 2020. “PAWSitive Support: The Development of a Prison-Based Canine Assisted Learning (CAL) Program”. 6th International Veterinary Social Work Summit. Knoxville, TN. Virtual.
- Chalmers, D. & Dell, C. 2019. Animal Assisted Therapy in the Correctional Service of Canada: National Kickstarter Initiative and Emerging Opportunities. Citizens Advisory Committee Regional Council Meeting. Saskatoon: SK.
- Dell, C. 2019. Dogs, Dogs, Dogs. A Research Plan. Community Adult Corrections. Mental Health &
Addiction Services. Saskatoon: SK. - Dell, C & D. Chalmers. 2017. 5 Days, 4 Prisoners & 3 Therapy Dogs = PAWSitive Support. Custody & Caring International Conference on the Nurse’s Role in the Criminal Justice System. Saskatoon, SK.
Addiction Research Chair Outcomes
Dr. Dell's work is informed by research undertaken during her Addiction Research Chair (2007-2016)
Photo Gallery
Funders & Supporters
Department of Sociology, School of Public Health, University of Saskatchewan; Drumheller Institution; Prairie Regional Psychiatric Centre; Stony Mountain Institution; Matsqui Prison; Nova Institution; Faculty of Social Work University of Regina; St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog Program (Saskatchewan) (Manitoba); PAWSitive Support Canine Assisted Learning Program (Alberta), Correctional Service Canada Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC), Correctional Service Canada (CSC) Community Engagement; CSC/CAC Kickstarter Initiative.
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