Photo: Puppies Behind Bars (www.puppiesbehindbars.com)
Quite frankly, I don't get what all the fuss is about.
Commentators and Labour politiicans are up in arms about the role that former Cabinet Minister and purgeror (he who commits purgery) Jonathan Aitken has signed up for - to chair a review of prison policy for the Centre for Social Justice.
Now, in case you are in any doubt, this relatively new think-tank is the brainchild of Iain Duncan Smith, another Tory who seems to have achieved more out of office than he did as leader of the Party.
Anyway, I digress.
The one thing you can be sure of in all of this is that Mr Aitken will have a better understanding of the realities of prison than most politiicans and err, for that matter, most of the population. After all, how many of you have been a) in a prison to visit or b) been detained at her Majesty's leisure?
No doubt Mr Aitken has got some top ideas about prison reform but I'd like to add mine. I reckon what prisoners really need are...dogs. That's right. My slogan, "Dogs Not Drugs" could be a winner, don't you think?
We already know that dogs help patients in hospital get better. Yes, that's right. They do. Fact. And don't start emailing me about hospital hygiene! Visiting dogs are well behaved and very clean!
We also know that troubled souls get 'something' from interacting with animals; the success of programmes like equine therapy leap-etc.co.uk/2.html.
If you do a google search for prison training and dogs you get a host of programmes being run, worldwide, that help rehabilitate prisoners AND dogs. Some dogs get trained to be assistance dogs; now, if that isn't a worthwhile use of everyone's time, I don't know what is! Check out http://www.puppiesbehindbars.com as an example.
So, Mr Aitken, if you happen to read this, remember "Dogs Not Drugs" will go a long way towards reforming our prisons.
You know it makes sense.
Woof Woof
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