Using Gardening to
Teach Life Skills to Jail Inmates
Horticultural therapy (HT), as described by the American Horticulture Therapy Association, is not only an
emerging profession, it is a time-proven practice.
The therapeutic benefits of peaceful...
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Using Gardening to
Teach Life Skills to Jail Inmates
Horticultural therapy (HT), as described by the American Horticulture Therapy Association, is not only an
emerging profession, it is a time-proven practice.
The therapeutic benefits of peaceful garden environments
have been understood since ancient times.
In the 19th century, Dr.
Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration
of Independence and considered to be the "Father of American Psychiatry," reported that garden settings held
curative effects for people with mental illness.
Rehabilitative care of hospitalized war veterans in the 1940’s and 1950’s greatly expanded the practice of HT.
Today, HT is recognized as a practical and viable treatment with wide-ranging benefits for people in
therapeutic, vocational, and wellness programs.
In 2006, Rock County UW-Extension and Rotary Botanical Gardens partnered with the Rock County Sheriff
Department’s RECAP (Rock County Education and Criminal Addictions Program) to facilitate an
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