Sabina Stopik from Bytom is the first inmate in the history of the Polish prison system to be allowed to have a dog behind bars. 17 years ago, he was convicted of a murder he claimed he did not commit. When he got to prison, he tried to kill himself. Today, Rishka's tattoo covers the scars of self-harm. – He saved my life.
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15 years in prison for murder
in 2007 Sabina Stopik He visited his friend Krzysh in the evening. The man asked to buy him a cigarette. As he told the local press, “he was gone for 20 minutes at most.”
When he returned from the store, Krzysztof “had his head covered with a blanket and a knife in his chest.” The woman from Bitom insists that she was not the perpetrator of the crime. He knocked on the neighbors' doors to call an ambulance. Doctors declared him dead.
The police were called to the scene. Stopik was the main suspect in this case – he was the last person to see the deceased and he was. He found the body. In an indirect trial, he was sentenced… 15 years imprisonment.
– No motive, no evidence like fingerprints. I didn't do it. The judge only said: “Since when does a killer go without gloves?” he complained to Tomasz Novak from Życie Bytomskie.
The woman could not accept what she said was an unfair verdict. behind bars He was trying to kill himself. – I could not come to terms with the fact that I had not done anything and had to spend so many years of my life locked up – he said in a conversation with Novak.
While in Lubliniek prison, his relatives died in freedom: sister, brother, brother-in-law. – Why do you live here and for whom? – he asked.
Therapy dogs in prisons
Almost 10 years ago, behaviorist Tomasz Wojcik visited Lubliniek Prison with his dog as part of cinema therapy classes. The man thinks so Sabina could not hide her joy when she saw the dog. “His eyes were shining.”
– Cinema therapy It is a method that enhances the effectiveness of personality development, education and rehabilitation, in which the motivator is a properly selected and trained dog, which is carried by a qualified cynotherapist – says the captain in an interview with naTemat. Karolina Gosi from Grudziadze Prison No. 1.
He adds: – The range of goals is to learn how to establish positive relationships with others with the help of a dog, to sensitize prisoners to the needs of other people and animals. Formation of positive feelings of prisoners and the ability to name one's emotions.
Because the program brought many benefits to Sabina, she stayed involved Help at a local shelter: He combed the dogs, inspected them, cleaned the pens. He went there in civilian clothes with the guards so as not to cause any sensation.
At one point, the other inmates complained that he could go outside and they couldn't. They rebelled. Mrs. Sabina It was forbidden to interact with dogs. again He tried to kill himself.
“Only a dog can help him”
Tomasz Wojcik was deeply moved by Sabina's story. Then the behaviorist wrote to the Ministry of Justice that Sabina could only be helped by taking care of the dog. He requested it The quadruped constantly appeared in the Lubliniek prison.
Surprisingly, the Minister of Justice agreed. The All-Polish Society for the Protection of Animals (OTOZ Animals), the court, the authorities of the Lubliniek prison and the sanitary-epidemiological station also gave their consent for the animal to live in the prison.
However, it was established that The welfare of the dog is as important as the welfare of the prisoner. A dog should be fine in prison. His condition was monitored by an independent behaviorist, Miroslav Dubiel, throughout his “imprisonment”. He saw no objection.
Rishka and Sabina – a harmonious duet
In 2015, it was purchased with state money One year old female Central Asian shepherd – one – one The largest dog breeds. At the same time, very durable, it was previously used to protect sheep.
The animal lived in a large pen in the yard. Sabina visited them when she had free time and took them to the living quarters whenever she could. He combed, fed and taught tricks.
He named the four-legged dog Rishka. It changed his life.
– I woke up at 5.30, had a call at 6, had breakfast at 7 and went to the dog at 8.30. I took him for a short walk from the playground. And then there was therapy. There were also passes. As part of dog therapy, I went out with him escorted by guards at the Center for Children with DisabilitiesOr at the veterans' home – says the 55-year-old.
dog in prison There are no regulations
In 2023, when Sabina's sentence ended, both were “freed”. today Sabina holds four certifications in canine therapy and takes lessons with Rishka. – I owe him a lot – Bitom told the press.
Sabina Stopik believes that animals can bring a lot of good to the lives of convicts, children in orphanages and the elderly. He found that out the hard way. – He He gave me freedom and He saved my life – she said.
Importantly, there are no provisions in Polish law that prohibit dogs during service. However, their well-being is questionable – not every dog will thrive in prison, and not every prisoner will be able to take care of it. However, in the case of Sabina and Rishka, there is no doubt – It just worked.
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