The Cuddly Catz program at the Larch Correctional Facility, a minimum-security prison in Washington, is several months old, but inmates say they’ve already noticed a difference in the cats and themselves. The program began in cooperation with a local animal shelter. It has grown to include two cats and four inmates, and the prison plans to add four more cats.
In this photo, inmate Richard Amaro holds Clementine in his 12-by-10-foot cell.
Credit: AP Photo/Rick Bowmer