The Criminal Justice Society hosted an educational session this past week titled, “Parenting Prisons and Pups” which taught students about Animal–Assisted Therapy (AAT) in the correctional system. The event featured Dr. Kimberly Collica-Cox, a professor in Criminal Justice and the Director of Dyson’s Jail-Based Services, who presented on the efficacy of AAT for incarcerated individuals and the role of student civic engagement in correctional environments.
Dr. Collica-Cox was joined by her certified therapy dog, Anna, who participates in the programs she runs within the Westchester County Department of Correction. She provided a foundational overview of how interaction with dogs provides therapeutic benefits to humans, noting that AAT is empirically demonstrated to mitigate symptoms of anxiety and depression and can contribute to the lowering of human blood pressure.
She then detailed the distinct categories of support animals utilized in clinical and public settings:
- Service Dogs: Provide task-specific assistance for individuals with physiological and/or psychological disabilities. These animals receive the most rigorous training, and public interaction (petting) is strictly prohibited during their work.
- Therapy Dogs: Offer emotional and psychological support to various populations, particularly those experiencing mental health challenges like anxiety or depression. (Anna is an example of this category.)
- Emotional Support Dogs: Provide comfort exclusively to their owner and are not typically trained for specific tasks in public settings.
The core focus of the presentation was the “Parenting Prisons and Pups” program, which combines AAT with structured parenting education for incarcerated individuals, where Pace University students serve as teaching assistants. Dr. Collica-Cox reported a marked increase in participant engagement and therapeutic effectiveness when the therapy dogs are present, such as statistically significant decreases in anxiety and statistically significant increases in self-esteem and parental knowledge.
The presence of therapy dogs encourages participants to be more receptive to the course content, helping them to solve interpersonal problems related to their personal lives and familial relationships.
Dr. Collica-Cox and her students detailed how her Civic Engagement courses integrate academic learning with direct service delivery within local prisons and jails, supporting the event’s initiative:
| Course Title & Number | Focus & Environment | Student Learning Highlights |
| CRJ 331: Strategies in Corrections Administration | Female prisoners with children. Focus on correctional law and the constitutional rights of the incarcerated. | Students said they gained insight into prisoners’ relational dynamics and emotional responses, specifically witnessing the impact of a peer’s imminent release. |
| CRJ 251: Introduction to Corrections | Male prisoners with children. Focus on correctional history, probation, and parole policies. | Students said they observed that fathers expressed a desire for greater involvement in their children’s lives and felt the program equipped them with practical parenting skills. |
| CRJ 242: Crime & Public Policy | Classes held inside the Westchester County Jail, combining Pace students with incarcerated men and women. Focus on criminological theories. | Students reported overcoming discomfort and developing a more comprehensive understanding and personal connection with the incarcerated population. |
The session effectively demonstrated that the integration of AAT and structured academic engagement provides a valuable, evidence-based approach to rehabilitation, directly supporting incarcerated parents and providing students with essential experiential learning opportunities.
To learn more about future events hosted by the Criminal Justice Society, please contact their PresidentNatasha Depaoli at [email protected].