Editor’s note: Incarcerated persons’ full names will not be used to protect them and any individuals who may have been impacted by their crimes.
MANSFIELD — Richland Correctional Institution is home to roughly 2,500 incarcerated persons and, at times, dozens of squirrels and opossums.
Beyond the gray walls topped with barbed wire, there’s a courtyard with green gardens, stacks of brood boxes for beekeeping and a fenced-in area where dogs run around.
The fifth housing unit sits at the far end of the court yard, past the dormitory units, cafeteria, library, education building, greenhouse and volleyball courts. At the very back of the building, there is a small room that’s off limits to all but three incarcerated men.
Those three men have been cleared to care for the young opossums and squirrels that live in the room, awaiting their rerelease into the wild. The program is one-of-its-kind that can only be found in Ohio prisons.
Why are the animals being raised in prison?
The Virginia opossums and grey squirrels that reside at the prison are brought in by staff at the Ohio Wildlife Center. The nonprofit helps injured, orphaned and ill native wildlife through rehabilitation and education.
There are 19 full-time staff members and a number of volunteers who help the Columbus-based organization run smoothly.
But with over 8,500 animals admitted to the hospital each year, there are not enough volunteers who can dedicate the hours of care that infant animals need, development and communications manager David Donahue said.
“(Inmates) were able to reduce the volunteer burden that we were going through,” Donahue said. “They support us so that we can focus our efforts elsewhere.”
Squirrels must be fed every two to four hours in their first few weeks of life, eventually developing a less rigorous feeding schedule during the 10 to 12 weeks they stay in care. Newborn opossums must be fed every four hours at their youngest age and stay in care for up to 15 weeks.
The three incarcerated men caring for the animals aren’t the only ones who have pitched in. The animal cages were built by other inmates at the prisons’ woodworking shop.
And this year, the men in the program created their own garden (separate from the ones at the front of the courtyard) to grow produce for the animals.
The Ohio Wildlife Center reached out to prisons across the state in 2019 to see if there was interested in a partnership. Amanda Roush, who supervises the program at RiCI, said she was immediately on board.
Four other Ohio prisons are also involved in the program: the Ohio Reformatory for Women focuses on rabbits. Marion Correctional Institution focuses on songbirds. Correctional institutions in London and Madison recently joined the programs with a focus on squirrels.
Donahue estimates there are 75 total incarcerated persons involved in the rehabilitation programs. This year alone, they have cared for over 500 animals.
“Wildlife rehabilitation as a science is in its infancy. Every time we do something, we learn something,” Donahue said.
Now, the incarcerated persons and correctional officers are part of that data collection and learning process.
The men in the program at RiCI caught a formula issue because they noticed squirrels were not growing adequate fur. Donahue said the team adjusted the formula, which increased the animals’ success rate the next year.
“These type of programs should be in every facility because if not, it’s just wasted space. You’ve got people in here who can do the job, who can take care of the animals and you’ve got staff in here who are willing too.”
Denzel T., an inmate in the RiCI program
A caregiver’s day starts at 5 a.m. The men to pop in and out all day and sometimes at night to maintain the animals’ rigorous feeding schedules. Communication is key to make sure everything is done properly, the men said.
Denzel T. said immediately after his arrival at RiCI over a year ago, he was begging Roush to join the program.
“If I was to walk out of here tomorrow, I’d be searching for this,” he said.
In the wild, opossums serve as pest controllers, consuming ticks, mice and snakes. Squirrels are great seed dispersers, helping to regenerate forests. They also serve as important prey for hawks, foxes, coyotes and other predators.
Staff at RiCI release the animals on their personal properties, which are often rural, Roush said, for those reasons.
Because of the limited amount of space to raise the animals, the RiCI inmates can only care for so many at once, with the most at one time being roughly 60. That also means only a small number of RiCI inmates can participate in the program.
Participating in the program is privilege reserved for inmates who maintain good behavior, Roush said.
A program that benefits the people and animals
RiCI is categorized as a levels one and two institution, meaning the men have more freedom of movement during the day, according to an Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections definition list.
Prisons like RiCI try to focus on reducing recidivism by providing academic, career and community services for the incarcerated population.
Chris K. has been at RiCI for over 10 years. He’s been involved with animal programs for eight years and is finishing up his first year with the Ohio Wildlife program.
RiCI has three dog programs: one where staff can bring their dogs to work and incarcerated persons care for them, one where puppies from the pound are cared for until they are ready for adoption and one where men can train service animals to be donated to autistic children.
Roush also used to bring in stray kittens that needed extra attention, which is how Chris K. became involved in animal programs.
“I was diagnosed with cancer back in 2015 and battled cancer for about a year and a half. After that, I had a hard time figuring out where I belonged anymore because of the changes from my cancer,” Chris K. said.
He said the program has helped him recover from the post-traumatic stress disorder he developed during his cancer treatment.
“I’m not any less. I can still be who I was before and even more. It’s nice knowing that I’m able to do something that’s more than me,” Chris K. said.
The 41-year-old said the program offers structure and stability in his life, something the other two men involved in the program also said.
Several studies have shown prison populations have a higher percentage of individuals with mental illnesses compared to the general population.
The National Institute of Mental Health estimates more than 20% of adults in the U.S. live with a mental illness.
Meanwhile, 37% of prisoners and 44% of jail inmates had been told in the past by a mental health professional that they had a mental disorder, according to a U.S. Department of Justice report.
“I’ve been here almost 24 years, so I have dark days and the animals pull me right out of that because no matter how bad I’m feeling, I gotta come in here. I have to be on the schedule,” Mel H. said.
Mel H. has been in the program for a year and a half. He said he wanted to join because he had been around animals his whole life prior to incarceration.
“There have been many of days that I would come into this room literally dragging, physically and mentally, and I’d be on schedule, take care of the squirrels and feed opossums. Once I get to a routine, whatever was bothering me, I couldn’t tell you what it was,” Mel H. said.
Several studies have examined the impacts of prison animal programs.
Former associate professor at Ohio State University Wendy Turner examined the experiences of inmates who participated in a service animal training program at a medium security facility for men in Indiana.
The qualitative research study found themes of patience, parenting skills, helping others, increased self esteem, social skills, a normalizing effect and a calming effect on the environment.
A comparative analysis of six prison animal programs across the U.S. by Melissa Beseres found inmates were changing physiologically from their working experience.
“Working with the animals helped normalize life and reduce some of the stress accrued from living behind bars,” according to the study.
The study also noted psychological improvements, vocational enhancement and an increased sense of purpose among inmates who participated in the programs.
Most of the programs mentioned in these studies and others involved dogs; no other prisons have a wildlife rehabilitation program for wild mammals.
Washington prisons have enrolled inmates in programs to care for endangered frogs and butterflies to bolster populations.
Donahue said there are potential plans to expand the program into other prisons and institutions.
All of the men agreed that when they are released, they want to continue to volunteer in this program or one similar to it.