Are we barking up the right tree? A meta-analysis on the effectiveness of prison-based dog programs

Prison-based Dog Programs (PBDPs) are used in correctional facilities to decrease recidivism and improve social-emotional functioning. The aim of this meta-analysis was to provide an overview of the effectiveness of PBDPs, accounting for the potential influence of study, program, and sample characteristics through moderator analyses. We included 11 manuscripts, seven published and four unpublished, yielding 93 effect sizes (N = 3,013). Eight studies were quasi-experimental and three were randomized controlled trials. The overall effect of PBDPs was significant and small (d = 0.153, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.026, 0.281]), and may have been somewhat inflated by possible publication bias, while study quality was generally low. Moderator analyses showed that the overall effect was largely driven by the small-to-medium effect of PBDPs on recidivism (d = 0.414, 95% CI = [0.153, 0.676]). It is therefore concluded that PBDPs may be a promising intervention to reduce recidivism, although more (robust) research is needed.