visitation

The speaker discusses an alternative approach to using AI in correctional facilities, which is pet visitations. These visits aim to provide companionship to inmates through brief interactions with animals. Unlike AI, these sessions are less structured and do not involve therapists or specific therapeutic goals. However, they still measure success through self-assessment and have shown benefits in reducing loneliness and fostering emotional connection. Pet visitations require fewer resources and are more cost-effective than AI. Next, I wanted to highlight an alternative approach as a contrast to these mixed results that we've been getting from my research in AIs in correctional facilities. An example that I wanted to give was pet visitations, which is the animals coming in, they visit inmates very briefly, and the goal here is to provide companionship. They're not as structured as AIs, and the focus is put on brief interactions rather than having a therapist follow up and achieve specific therapeutic goals. These sessions, they hope to alleviate feelings of loneliness and provide a sense of companionship. They do still measure their success through self-assessment post-sessions, but they do require less resources, less money, less management, and the self-assessment results through research have shown benefits of emotional connection. They do feel less lonely after the session.