August is National Dog Month! It may come as a surprise to learn how important these furry, four-legged friends are to the rehabilitation of incarcerated individuals. Dogs bring happiness and companionship to many people, and incarcerated individuals are no exception.

Multiple CoreCivic facilities across the country host dog programs of some sort, whether it's training dogs to be service animals for individuals with disabilities or training dogs for general adoption by members in the local community. The mere presence of dogs within correctional settings has proven to help in the development of positive behavior among incarcerated individuals, an important factor to successful rehabilitation.

WATCH below to learn how dogs provide unconditional love to incarcerated individuals without regard for their criminal status.