The Great Mates Prison Programme in Te Whare Manaakitanga Special Treatment Unit at Rimutaka Prison is where inmates work with greyhounds to prepare them to go to new homes.
"Privileged" is not how you'd expect a high-risk violent offender at Rimutaka Prison to describe themselves.
But one inmate at the Upper Hutt jail calls himself just that after being given the chance to work in a unit preparing retired greyhounds for their forever homes.
The prison has partnered with Greyhound Racing New Zealand to deliver the Great Mates Prison Programme, in which prisoners take on roles as dog handlers and foster carers.
The inmate, who cannot be identified but joked that he wanted to be referred to as "Freedom", is one of several who have been picked to work with the dogs.
Over eight weeks, the handlers work with a dog each, training them and getting them ready for a domestic environment when they are adopted out to people in the community.
"I've never really looked after anybody in my life," the inmate said.
His sister is allergic to pet fur, so he has never had a dog before.
Inmate Freedom at work with greyhound Sugar as part of the Great Mates Prison Programme in Te Whare Manaakitanga Special Treatment Unit at Rimutaka Prison. Photo / Mark Mitchell
"It is a big change. It's going to help me, though, when I get out, to be able to look after my kids and that and be there for them. So yeah, it's a stepping stone.
"I don't get much opportunities in my life so I feel quite privileged and thankful."
This is the second time he's gone through the course, which he believes is teaching him punctuality, reliability, and how to build trust with people.
The programme is taking place in Te Whare Manaakitanga Special Treatment Unit, a therapeutic unit where men identified as a high risk of violent offending address their antisocial behaviour and develop psychological skills to help with their rehabilitation and reintegration into the community.
The treatment programme is the most effective intervention provided by Corrections. Research shows that men who complete the programme and receive parole are 32 per cent less likely to reoffend than similar untreated offenders.
Jo Heath, the unit's principal corrections officer, said the programme was "huge success" for the men.
It had given them the opportunity to work with animals "and have something completely different that you'd never get in prison".
The inmates were in charge of feeding, exercising, training, and generally caring for the dogs, as well as cleaning up after them, she said.
Some had owned dogs before, while others had never even been around a dog. Some thought, because greyhounds were naturally lean, that they were underweight, and would let them eat as much food as they wanted.
"Everything was new for the men to start with," she said.
A Great Mates trainer visits the prison handlers weekly to teach them the skills to train the dogs and ensure they're ready for pet life, and to check on each dog's welfare. The men are also supported by two volunteers from a local retirement village who visit twice weekly to help with handling and training the dogs.
Hilton, one of the volunteers, said he was out of his comfort zone when he started visiting the prison, but now enjoyed it.
"Initially I was a little bit apprehensive, but I was made very welcome by the staff and the boys themselves," he said.
Jo Heath (left) and volunteer Hilton work with inmates such as Freedom to help rehabilitate them and prepare the dogs for adoption. Photo / Mark Mitchell
He remembered the first day of the course and how the dogs came out anxious with their heads down, compared to the men, who were itching to be allocated a dog.
"They couldn't get the dogs quick enough."
He said the handlers had grown in self-confidence over the time they'd had the dogs.
The training includes basic canine obedience, as well as teaching the dogs how to walk up stairs and through doorways. At the end of the programme, both handler and dog receive a Dogs NZ Canine Good Basics Certificate.
