Toby

Can horse taming prevent reoffending?

Anthony Garrison, Toby

The Wild Mustang rehabilitation program at Arizona State Prison pairs inmates with wild horses to manage overpopulated herds while teaching critical life skills like perseverance and patience. Participants who complete the curriculum have achieved a mere 4% recidivism rate, a drastic reduction from the national average of 77%, by fostering a symbiotic relationship that shifts their focus from self to the needs of the animals. Although the initiative remains resource-intensive and currently serves only a small fraction of the prison population, advocates argue that the resulting social and economic savings from keeping even a few hundred inmates out of prison justify the investment.