Tale-Wagging Excitement in Prison

 I've been housed at three different prisons that have dog training programs. In these programs prisoners train dogs to be service dogs or well-trained pets, or socialize retired racing greyhounds to be pets. These programs provide a highly structured environment in which dogs can learn, but they also give prisoners purpose and teach them empathy and how to care for something other than themselves. 

There is one problem with male prisoners training service dogs, though. The dogs have few opportunities to interact with women. As a result, as I have often seen, the dogs respond very excitedly when a female corrections officer or prison staff member shows them attention. They can hardly contain themselves, forgetting their training and barely hearing any commands they're given. 

First, their tails start wagging, followed by their whole bodies wagging with excitement. Tongues all hanging out, the dogs dance in place, unable to contain themselves. It's a woman!

When I saw this happen again this past week, I had to smile. Of course, it's cute to watch a dog get so excited, but that's not why I smiled. It's because it dawned on me that some prisoners act the same way when they see a woman. After all, we too have very little interaction with women. 

Of course, we don't see male prisoners dancing about, wagging their whole bodies while their tongues hang out. Rather, we see awkward and uncomfortable stares, hear inappropriate comments, and...well I guess, at least figuratively, see tongues hanging out. 

Prisoners don't benefit from food-rewarded training that helps them to learn to control themselves. In fact, there is little discipline building training in prison, unless a prisoner decides to discipline himself. Unfortunately, with so little interaction with women, some male prisoners forget how to conduct themselves with respect when they interact with women. 

I'd never want a woman I cared about to work in a prison, but I have a lot of respect for the female officers and prison staff who have figured out how to treat male prisoners with respect and dignity while still demanding they receive the same in return. It's a difficult line to walk, I'm sure, when surrounded by a bunch of tale-wagging, drooling, unruly...men.