From FOX 40. By Chloe Curtis.

YOLO COUNTY, Calif., June 30, 2025 – A new program in Yolo County is shaping how the youth at its juvenile detention facility are rehabilitated.

The Yolo County Probation Department and Yolo County Animal Services recently introduced the program Paws for Change. The program allows youth at the juvenile detention facility to care for foster kittens before they are ready for adoption.

Staff said that since the program’s launch in late May, there have been zero disciplinary issues among the youths participating. For many youths at the facility, it’s the first time they have ever been responsible for an animal.

The youths care for the kittens daily. From feeding, cleaning, giving medications, and socializing with the animals, the youth do it all. So far, older youths are mainly working with kittens.

Each youth completed orientation, training and an empathy assessment before being involved in the program. Follow-up assessments are planned for every six months. While the probation department is piloting the program, staff said it has shown nothing but improvements among those participating so far.

“Some of the stuff that we’ve talked about for staff that are with these youths every day is that they’ve seen them exert compassion, create responsibility. When the program was getting put together, they wanted to be included in creating the rules. They wanted to be included in how these cats would be taken care of, and what their room would look like. You could just tell that they’re very motivated to be part of this process,” Yolo County Chief Probation Officer Rachelle Gayton said.

Staff and volunteers at the probation department have long envisioned a program of this nature. Recently, staff members were at a conference and listened to a presentation about a prison that rolled out a similar program with dogs. From there, several conversations happened between the probation department and animal services about funding and logistics for introducing a similar program.

…So far, the program has been a win-win on both sides.

“I think something with probation that we always try to emphasize is that we are a department of second chances and that we are here to help rehabilitate the youth and the clients we serve and anytime, we can create opportunities that evoke compassion and empathy and just teach these youth opportunities to grow,” Gayton said.

The program is more than fostering kittens; it’s fostering change among youth at the facility. Some of the participating youths described the program as calming and therapeutic.

Staff members added that they’re seeing new sides from the youth participating, describing them as more confident and hopeful. It also helps build trust between the youth and officers at the facility.

“Staff are finding that they’re able to come in and work with the kids with the kittens, so it gives them a shared purpose and a shared leadership together, as well as an opportunity to see more staff,” Gayton said.

…

Staff said it’s an honor to be one of the first counties to roll out a program like Paws for Change.

“It has definitely been exciting for us. We’ve gotten a lot of attention from other counties asking how we rolled out the program. Anytime you can collaborate with another county agency, it always helps because there are always benefits for both,” Gayton said.

While it’s early on, the partnership has been promising and will hopefully continue to grow in the coming months….the probation department said the community can help support it by donating directly to Yolo County Animal Services.

“Sometimes we’re going to have some for longer periods of time and we’re their role models and we’re their influence and we’re just trying to bring in positive programming in ways so that when they do go back into the community, they’re ready,” Gayton said.

Read the full article and watch video recap here.