For residents at Baylor Women’s Correctional Institution, substance abuse counseling, life skills classes and group talk-therapy is nothing compared to seeing Stella, an Australian cattle dog and pitbull mix in the Brandywine Valley SPCA animal-assisted therapy program Paws for Change.
Many residents are on a long road to recovery from substance abuse disorders and mental illness. Visits from dogs like Stella are often the highlight of their week, a light at the end of the tunnel and motivation for the women to get back home to their own furry friends.
- Yep, medically proven. — Delmarva German Shepherd Dog Club
- It is nice to see prisoners being treated like human beings for once in this country. — Jaden Blondin
- And hopefully, when these prisoners finish serving their sentence, they will return to their communities and treat their victims and their fellow neighbors and all within their community as human beings, also. That would be very nice, too. — Dennis Kirkwood
- It’s nice when prisoners can act like civilized human beings. — Bob Hice
- Plenty of people are in prison for things others have done but just haven’t gotten caught. They can “act like” civilized human beings because that’s what they generally are. — Kim Siegel
- Years ago, I worked at Baylor. It was remarkable to see how many of the women bloomed when they were treated with dignity and respect. Several guards in the unit where I worked were particularly good at this. It often felt like an environment of healing and recovery. — Kristin Froehlich
Delaware State University hoping Schwartz Center will have another act
Last month, Delaware State University kicked off an initiative to revive downtown Dover’s Schwartz Center for the Arts. Nearly a year after becoming the sole owner of the 118-year-old theater, the DSU Foundation aims to return the facility to its place as a center for culture and arts for Dover and the state. But it will take time and money to meet its goals.
- My suggestion is to clean up Loockerman and the surrounding area, and more people will come out to the Schwartz Center. It is a beautiful old theater. Such a shame what has been allowed to happen to the area. — Mary Robinson
- About time this beautiful theater was being utilized. This will be a huge difference in the revitalization of downtown Dover. This should be a destination, like Milton or Milford, for entertainment and dining. — scotthered
