Abstract
Over the past two decades, recidivism rates have remained relatively stable, leading practitioners to explore innovative reentry solutions. One reentry model, based on the concept of peer mentorship, has received renewed attention. Unfortunately, little is known about which peer characteristics make mentors most effective in a prison setting. This study uses participant observation and semi-structured interviews, embedded with survey questions, to understand which “peer” characteristics prison staff, peer mentors, and mentees perceive as the most important. Analysis of survey data also suggests that a history of incarceration is perceived as the most important characteristic for peer mentors in a reentry context. Additionally, the qualitative analysis reveals that mentors need to be perceived as credible to be effective role models for reentry. This credibility was almost exclusively linked to a lived experience of incarceration. Peer mentorship remains a viable option for improving reentry outcomes, but hiring the appropriate, credible peers is essential for effective implementation.
Highlights
An American trend toward mass incarceration creates a new problem of mass reentry
Matthews and colleagues (2020) investigated an employment program for people returning to the community and found that peer mentorship from formerly incarcerated staff improved self-confidence, but promoted self-empowerment
Regardless of the sample group, the participants indicated that a history of incarceration and a history of overcoming trauma were the most important characteristics for a peer mentor to have; 73% of the staff and peer mentors ranked a history of incarceration as Very Important, whereas 68% of mentees did
Summary
Every year approximately 600,000 people are released from prison and expected to successfully reintegrate (Carson, 2020). Receive a list of obligations when they check in with probation and parole, but little support or guidance regarding how to meet them (Pleggenkuhle, 2018). For those who lack adequate support, the future is bleak. Over 80% of people released from state prisons in the United States will be rearrested within 9 years (Alper et al, 2018). Adequate support upon release is vital to successful reintegration and desistance (Brown and Ross, 2010), but who is best suited to provide the support?
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