Inmates at the Madison Correctional Institution are learning that eventually, a life of wrongdoings might warrant a second chance at rehabilitation. For the little souls that they are paired with, they are also learning that a life of pain and loneliness warrants a second chance at love.
In the correctional facility's foster-cat program, inmates at the medium-security prison are paired with rescue kittens. While in the program, the inmates are tasked to care for the babies 24/7, raising them until such time that they are ready for adoption, according to 3 Million Dogs.
The kittens are provided by the Humane Society of Madison County, which carefully chooses the cats who would be part of the program. Most of those chosen are kittens who were either abandoned or rejected by their mothers, as well as cats that are overweight or have difficulty interacting with other cats.
In a lot of ways, the kittens that are chosen for the program are rejects of their society, much like the inmates themselves. So far, the project has worked beautifully.
Currently, there are 10 inmates participating in the program, with about 15 more lined up. The correctional facility carefully evaluates each inmate who applies for the foster-cat program to make sure that the men are ready for the responsibility, reported Dispatch News.
Benjamin, a 48-year-old convict who is serving a life sentence, is one of the men who is a proud part of the program. Currently serving as the foster parent of four kittens, he believes that the program ultimately provides inmates such as himself with a reprieve from the otherwise dismal life within the four walls of a prison.
"It's like being a dad. They come in here as bottle babies and their whole life depends on you. It's nice to be able to show kindness. There's not a lot of that in here," he said.
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