Jail dogs program suspended in Gwinnett County [Video]

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A popular jail program pairing inmates with furry animal shelter friends is on indefinite hiatus starting Monday, according to the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office.

Officials with the county said the decision to suspend the program comes amid modifications to the Gwinnett County Jail in order to provide care and security to inmates facing mental health and chronic illnesses.

Starting in 2010, the Jail Dogs Program began as a partnership between the sheriff’s office and the Society of Humane Friends.

According to a release, the program has helped adopt 1,500 cats and dogs from shelters and provided numerous inmates with “vocational skills they can use once released from custody.”

“These dogs have been in the worst situations you could imagine,” then-inmate Jason Benson said during an interview with 11Alive back in …