Lollypop Farm in Fairport hosted an open house to present its new Animal Crime Intervention Program (ACIP), set up in an effort to help save animals from abuse or negligence.

The program, set to launch in the fall, will be geared towards people who have been convicted of animal crimes and are currently on probation. The humane society created ACIP in hopes to save animals from abuse.

Kim Ferris-Church, humane education manager at the farm, said there will be a variety of sessions offered.

“We are going through various sessions where they are learning about blame versus accountability,” Ferris-Church said. The lessons include “compassion and empathy, responsible pet care and animal body language.”

Organizers also hope that the program will help prevent crime across the board in Monroe County.

“Oftentimes people that are charged with domestic violence, elder abuse or child abuse there’s certain times where they actually committed animal crimes previous to that happening,” Ferris-Church said.

The ACIP will be held at the probation office in Rochester. Two facilitators with degrees in Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing will assist in the launch of the program. Participants will be selected by referral or as part of their sentencing in court.

Monroe County officials are already on board, including district attorney Sandra Doorley.

“It’s one thing to handle the court case and maybe find someone and give them a weekend in jail,” Doorley said. “Or some kind of probation, but I think it means more if you actually get to the root of the problem.”