Animal programs introduced in prisons since the 1970s have shown significant benefits for incarcerated individuals, including improved mental health, empathy, emotional maturity, and reduced recidivism. These programs, involving care for dogs, horses, cats, and other animals, also help reduce toxic masculinity by encouraging nurturing behaviors. Participants often report feeling a renewed sense of purpose and humanity. However, scholars Chloe Taylor and Kelly Struthers Montford caution that while these programs are praised for rehabilitation, they can also serve to improve the prison system’s public image without addressing the deeper issues of incarceration.

Taylor and Montford’s forthcoming book, Animals and the Prison Industrial Complex, critiques these programs through the lenses of prison abolitionism and animal liberation. They argue that many programs prioritize human benefits over animal welfare and may reinforce oppressive prison structures by imposing strict controls on both inmates and animals. The authors advocate for community-based animal care initiatives outside prison walls as more ethical and transformative alternatives. Ultimately, they call for a critical approach that acknowledges the harms of incarceration and integrates animal programs into broader justice reforms rather than viewing them as standalone solutions.