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Prison in Brazil uses geese to deter prisoners from escaping and it seems to be working

Guard geese might be a game changer.

Photo credit: Canva

Prison in Brazil ditches guard dogs for a gaggle of geese

Being in prison is not supposed to be a vacation. Most people in prison are there because they broke the law following some poor choices in their lives. Prison is supposed to rehabilitate you so you can be reintegrated into society given a second chance at life but some people are a little impatient on their release date.

As one can imagine, escaping from prison is frowned upon and results in more prison time when you get caught. To deter prisoners from escaping, most penitentiaries have a guard tower, guard dogs and razor blade wire on the top of the fencing. But a prison in Brazil is trying something a little different to keep overzealous prisoners inside the walls of the building until their release date.

They replaced their guard dogs with geese. Yes, those waddling feather dusters that honk and bite if you get too close. It would be easy to believe that a gaggle of geese would be less of a deterrent than a few large barking dogs but the strategy seems to be paying off. Anyone who has ever encountered a goose in the wild would probably wager that an angry goose is much more intimidating than a dog.

Shocked The Goose GIF by Bare Tree MediaGiphy

The geese have been part of the prison's defense system for more than ten years. They're respected as colleagues to the prison guards who care for them.

"It's never happened but if someone tried to escape, the geese would go crazy. They would get our attention without a doubt," prison officer Marcos Coronetti tells TRT World.

Sao Pedro de Alcantra Penitentiary is the only prison in the entire country that uses geese instead of dogs to deter escape. They've found that the geese are much less expensive to maintain than guard dogs. The honking water fouls also require much less attention, training and vet visits than the canines they replaced. Geese don't require you to go out and play fetch or to keep up with scent tracking training. There's also no need to teach geese specific alert barks so humans know if someone is attempting to escape.

Miss Piggy Waiting GIF by Muppet WikiGiphy

"They're not expensive. They make much more of a ruckus than the dogs and they have no time off. They are far better prepared than dogs for this job of surveillance," Coronetti says.

These particular geese are sentinel geese and were domesticated for the purpose of essentially being home alarm systems. Of course the prison doesn't rely solely on their feathered guards to keep the inmates within the walls of the prison. They have cameras, guards and other mechanisms typical in any prison to aid in maintaining the prison population but unlike the humans, the geese don't take shifts. They work around the clock, ready to squawk and flap at the first sign on unexpected movement.

On The Road Family GIF by Tierpark BerlinGiphy

People think this is a fantastic idea though it may have sounded a bit unorthodox at first, with one person writing, "My respect for the guy who had the idea and the courage to talk other people into using geese as part of prison defenses. That's one hell of a 'Now, hear me out....'"

Another commenter chuckles, "Man this is hilarious and practical hahah - they're even called sentinel geese."

One person writes, "Another fun fact. Geese can't be bribed with food over time like dogs can. Making them incorruptible. That alone should give prisoners goose bumps at night."

One goose owner concedes that geese are great at alerting saying, "We have geese. They are so territorial. If they see people, they quack so loudly. Even if they see you everyday, you can't really stop them from quacking if they see you."

Who knew geese could be such great alarm system. Maybe there will be more prisons following suit, especially when there's a chance of saving a good bit of money on vet bills and training programs. All they need now is their own little badges and guard towers to add to the cuteness factor for their seriously adorable jobs.

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These 11 powerful photos offer a glimpse of life on death row.

It's been 10 years since California's last execution. But death row continues to grow.

What began in 1852 as 20 acres of seaside land purchased for $10,000 is now known as San Quentin State Prison.

Today, the prison covers 432 acres, and it houses over 4,000 men, including hundreds of men who are on death row.

Visitors arrive at San Quentin State Prison in 2015. All photos by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images.

At San Quentin, nearly 700 men live on death row.

It's the only correctional facility in California for condemned men. But there's a problem: There hasn't been an execution at San Quentin since 2006. That means that those hundreds of men are waiting (and waiting, and waiting) for their death sentences to be carried out — and some have been waiting for more than 10 years.

Why the wait? Legal challenges surrounding the cocktail of drugs used during lethal injections have put executions on hold. In November 2016, California voters will decide whether to eliminate the death penalty entirely or, at the very least, expedite the process. But until then, these men's futures hang in flux.

Regardless of where you stand on capital punishment, the current prison system is inarguably flawed.

While prison should remain a punishment, especially for the most dangerous offenders, keeping a future in the balance for literally decades at a time is borderline inhumane. The condemned inmates live in single cells, with limited access to fresh air or mental enrichment.

These photos reveal just what it looks like to spend your days trapped in an outdated facility, within a broken system, where your only options are to wait and wonder.

1.  Little has changed in San Quentin's East Block — where condemned inmates are held — since it was built in 1930.

2. Nothing is automated. Each cell is opened and closed by hand.

3. Unlike inmates in the general population, where men are kept two to a cell and have access to enrichment programs, inmates on death row spend most of their days alone.

4. If you think it's lonely and isolating, you're right.

4.  In their single cells, some write or draw.

5. Others study or read to pass the time.

6. Outside time is limited to four days a week, when inmates get access to an exercise yard.

7. There, they can workout.

8. Or pace.

9. Or just think.

10. There's always plenty of time for that.

11. After all, waiting is what they're on death row to do. The question is — for how long?

A Mickey Mouse clock marks the time, along with a little graffiti from someone with a cruel and unusual sense of humor.

And this isn't just California's problem — it's a problem everywhere.

Between sentencing and execution, inmates on death row can wait an average of 190 months. That's up from 74 months in 1984.

It's clear our corrections system wasn't built for this — unduly cruel sentences of indeterminate length in prisons more than a century old. Surely there's a way to get justice for victims and punish perpetrators without sacrificing our own humanity.

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In 1972, he was put in solitary confinement. He's been there since, but now there's hope.

If the goal is to bring an end to solitary confinement, this is a big step in the right direction.

For more than 40 years, Albert Woodfox has lived in solitary confinement at Louisiana State Penitentiary.

Originally convicted along with two others of armed robbery in 1971, Woodfox — who is now 68 years old — would later be accused and convicted of murdering one of the prison's guards.

After receiving a new sentence of life in prison, Woodfox was moved into solitary confinement, where he spent the next 43 years. In June of last year, an appeals court ordered Woodfox released from prison, citing a lack of evidence, only to have that decision reversed. In November, a federal appeals court ruled that Woodfox could be made to stand trial for a third time; his first two convictions were overturned.

In the meantime, he remains in solitary confinement, living out his days in a 6-foot-by-9-foot cell, punished for a crime he argues he did not commit. There's no telling what 43 years away from other people has done to him, and it's hard to imagine what sort of life he will have if and when he is released back into the world, having been away from it for so long.

There are a few things we know about solitary confinement — none of them good.

In 2011, the United Nations called on countries to do away with solitary confinement. The argument is that the mental abuse prisoners in solitary undergo as the result of their placement can amount to torture.

“Solitary confinement is a harsh measure which is contrary to rehabilitation, the aim of the penitentiary system,” said UN special rapporteur on torture Juan E. Méndez.

"Considering the severe mental pain or suffering solitary confinement may cause," he added, "it can amount to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment when used as a punishment, during pretrial detention, indefinitely or for a prolonged period, for persons with mental disabilities or juveniles."

A detainee makes a call from his "segregation cell" at the Adelanto Detention Facility in Adelanto, Califoria. Photo by John Moore/Getty Images.

We know studies have shown solitary confinement doesn't actually make anyone any safer. In fact, some find that people held in solitary confinement for extended periods of time actually become more likely to become violent.

We know that somewhere around 80,000 prisoners are being held in solitary confinement at any given time.

We know that it costs three times as much to house someone in solitary confinement than in the general population.

No matter how you look at it, keeping people in solitary confinement for extended periods of time simply doesn't make sense.

In July, President Obama ordered the Department of Justice to review the use of solitary confinement in U.S. prisons.

He showed skepticism for the practice, calling it "not smart."

"I’ve asked my attorney general to start a review of the overuse of solitary confinement across American prisons," said Obama during a speech at the NAACP conference. "The social science shows that an environment like that is often more likely to make inmates more alienated, more hostile, potentially more violent. Do we really think it makes sense to lock so many people alone in tiny cells for 23 hours a day, sometimes for months or even years at a time?"

Obama meets with Attorney General Loretta Lynch in the Oval Office on May 29, 2015. Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.

The review has been completed, and the president is adopting its recommendations.

In an editorial from The Washington Post on Jan. 25, the president outlined exactly what that means:

  • Banning solitary confinement for juveniles
  • Banning solitary confinement as a punishment for "low-level infractions"
  • Reducing the amount of time inmates in solitary must stay in their cells
  • Expanding on-site mental health resources

By the president and Department of Justice's estimate, this will affect somewhere around 10,000 inmates.

It's stories like Woodfox's that makes Obama's latest action so huge.

It's rarely "necessary" to hold someone in solitary, and Obama's new guidelines clearly state that inmates should be "housed in the least restrictive setting necessary to ensure their own safety, as well as the safety of staff, other inmates, and the public."

The president's move doesn't go so far as to eliminate the use of solitary confinement, but it does set the framework for future reviews of the system, which could in turn bring an end to the practice.

For now, though, Woodfox remains in solitary, awaiting yet another trial and, perhaps, freedom.

These amazing handmade crafts were all designed and built by prisoners seeking new skills.

My wife and I received a cutting board as a wedding gift.

Our friends went off the registry for this particular piece of craftsmanship. Not because we needed another cutting board (we don't) and not because it was a beautifully finished handmade gift (it is).

They bought it because it came from prison.

Photo by Thom Dunn/Upworthy.

For more than 80 years, the Maine State Prison Showroom has sold handcrafted wooden gifts made by inmates.

Year after year, Mainers and vacationers alike flock to Thomaston, Maine, (or the outlet shop in Windham) to check out the latest in affordable, handmade homegoods — everything from jewelry boxes and chairs to toy trucks and model ships.

And it's all created, designed, and built by inmates at the Maine State Prison.

It's a remarkable correctional program with positive benefits for the public and the prisoners alike. And it's working.

Unlike other prison work programs, which tend to rely on gruelling manual labor for corporate benefit, the Maine State Prison program gives inmates a chance to gain real-world skills that will help them contribute to society once they've been released.

For one thing, the inmate workers have to earn their way into the program through staff recommendations, competing for a limited number of highly coveted positions in the woodshop.

“You have to get along, learn people skills. When you get out, on the streets, you might have someone you don’t like, but you have to work for them,” explained shop manager Ken Lindsey in interview with the Portland Press Herald. “When they get out, are they all going to become woodworkers? Probably not. But they’ll build skills, as long as you’re willing to learn.”

Just a few of the offerings available at the store. Photo by Maine State Prison Showroom/Facebook.

Each inmate worker is paid a wage between $1 and $3 an hour — about 3 to 4 times more than most prisoners.

While most of this money goes directly to court restitution fees and child support payments, there's usually a little bit left over for the inmates to keep themselves — something to show for a hard day's work.

As a result, the state-run program is entirely self-funded, bringing in nearly $2 million dollars in revenue each year. And all that income goes right back into the program, helping to pay for supplies and creating more employment opportunities.

And instead of hammering away at license plates or digging holes out in the heat, the inmates are doing something practical that they can take pride in — something that benefits the public instead of corporate interests.

Of course, none of this changes the fact that America still has a serious prison problem.

Statistics show that nearly half of ex-convicts end up back in jail.

That could reflect poorly on the effectiveness of the American correctional system. But in a country that has more prisons than colleges or universities, where for-profit companies make billions of dollars each year by exploiting unpaid prison labor, and where it's nearly impossible for an ex-convict to get a job after their incarceration — well, why bother, right? One mistake, no matter how small, and you're set to fail for life.

But if we gave those people a second chance instead, it could make all the difference.

Just ask Vic, a former inmate worker at the Maine State Prison woodshop.

He was released in 2011 after 35 years — and he's spent the last five years working at Mystic Woodworks in Warren, Maine, applying the skills he learned behind bars for a full-time job. “He’s constantly on the go, constantly doing his job," says Jamie Doubleday, who co-owns the company with her husband Ray. "He’s a perfectionist that’s perfect for what we do. We feel blessed to have the stars align and have that man do what he does.”

As for Vic himself? He couldn't be happier. "My life has never been better," he says with a laugh to keep from getting too choked up. "And it’s all because I ended up in Maine and got in trouble.”

Here's a short documentary about the program from the Maine Department of Corrections:

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